Skip to content
GetInto AI

Subtitle jobs for translation agencies: Happy Scribe drafts

Happy Scribe transcribes and times the source subtitles with AI, so your translators start from a checked file instead of typing. From about $9£7€8A$13C$13 a month.

At a glance

  • What it costs$9–20£7–15€8–18A$13–29C$13–28 a month

  • Worth, in extra profit or time saved in the worked example$539£405€482A$778C$761 a month

  • Pays for itselfIn a few days

  • Sign up and configure; no technical skills neededEasy to set up

Figures come from the worked example below, using its stated assumptions. Tool prices checked . How we check prices

The problem

Clients increasingly send training and marketing videos for subtitling in several languages. Before any translation, someone types the source transcript and times every line, which takes about 3 hours for a 10-minute video. Six videos a month is 18 hours of typing and timing.

What the AI does

Happy Scribe is a transcription and subtitling service with AI speech-to-text and subtitles in many languages, and optional human proofreading. You upload the video, a linguist corrects the AI transcript and subtitle timing, and the checked source file goes to your translators for each target language. The finished files are checked against the video before delivery.

A worked example

A translation agency in Manchester gets about 6 ten-minute videos a month to subtitle into French, German and Spanish. One project manager prepares the source subtitles in Happy Scribe and sends the checked file to freelance translators.

Before

6 videos a month at 3 hours each to transcribe and time: 18 hours

After

6 videos at about 45 minutes each to correct the AI transcript and timing: 4.5 hours

What it's worth

About $539£405€482A$778C$761 a month in time saved: 13.5 hours (18 down to 4.5) at an assumed $40£30€36A$58C$56 an hour. Happy Scribe Basic includes 120 AI minutes a month, enough for 60 minutes of video, at €17 (about $20£15€18A$29C$28) a month on monthly billing or €8.50 (about $9£7€8A$13C$13) a month billed annually.

How to set it up

  1. Try Happy Scribe's free trial (10 minutes) on a short client video you have permission to use.
  2. Choose Basic if you handle under 120 minutes of video a month; Pro covers 600 minutes.
  3. Correct the source transcript and timing line by line against the video before anything is translated.
  4. Send translators the checked subtitle file with your line-length and reading-speed rules.
  5. Check every translated file against the video before delivery.

What goes wrong

  • AI transcripts mishear names, product terms and accents. A linguist must check every line before translation.
  • Videos can contain personal data or unreleased products. Check your client contract allows a third-party service, and tell the client.
  • Extra minutes cost €0.20 each. A busy month can exceed Basic's 120 minutes.
  • Subtitle rules (characters per line, reading speed) vary by client and broadcaster. Set them before translating, not after.

More ideas for Translation agencies

Claude for translation agencies: check the final PDF

Claude compares a long source PDF with the typeset translation and lists missing text and mismatched figures for a reviser. From about $40£30€36A$58C$56 a month for 2 users.

  • Costs $40–51£30–38€36–45A$58–73C$56–71/mo
  • Worth $559£420€500A$806C$790/mo
  • Pays for itself in a few days
  • Easy to set up

Certified translation orders online for translation agencies

A Tally form takes the document scan, works out the fixed price and takes card payment, so certificate jobs arrive ready to start. From about $47£35€42A$67C$66 a month.

  • Costs $47£35€42A$67C$66/mo
  • Worth $399£300€357A$576C$564/mo
  • Pays for itself in about a week
  • Some setup needed

Translation memory for agencies: faster quotes in Phrase

Phrase TMS keeps a translation memory of past jobs, so repeat text is spotted when you quote and isn't paid for twice. From about $29£22€26A$42C$41 a month.

  • Costs $29£22€26A$42C$41/mo
  • Worth $319£240€286A$461C$451/mo
  • Pays for itself in a few days
  • Some setup needed

DeepL for translation agencies: glossary-led MT drafts

DeepL Pro drafts agreed low-risk jobs using each client's glossary, and your linguists post-edit them. Two users from about $57£43€51A$83C$81 a month.

  • Costs $57£43€51A$83C$81/mo
  • Worth $343£258€307A$495C$485/mo
  • Pays for itself in about a week
  • Easy to set up

Client glossary and style sheet drafts for translators

ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini draft a term list and style sheet from a new client's public website, for the client to confirm. Free to about $27£20€24A$38C$38 a month.

  • Costs Free–$27Free–£20Free–€24Free–A$38Free–C$38/mo
  • Worth $279£210€250A$403C$395/mo
  • Pays for itself in a few days
  • Easy to set up

Freelance translator NDAs signed online with Legalesign

Legalesign sends NDAs and data processing terms to freelance linguists for e-signature and keeps an audit trail clients can ask to see. From about $13£10€12A$19C$19 a month.

  • Costs $13£10€12A$19C$19/mo
  • Worth $100£75€89A$144C$141/mo
  • Pays for itself in about a week
  • Easy to set up

Invoice reminders for translation agencies in Xero

Xero sends automatic reminders on overdue invoices to agency and corporate clients, with PO numbers on every invoice. From about $52£39€46A$75C$73 a month.

  • Costs $52£39€46A$75C$73/mo
  • Worth $110£83€99A$159C$156/mo
  • Pays for itself in about two weeks
  • Easy to set up

Last updated October 17, 2026.