Translate
The Translate screen turns subtitle files into fully timed subtitles in another language, using DeepSeek's AI over the internet. It is the one AI screen that opens without a license: with your own license and key it uses the key, and otherwise it runs on translation credits bought on the website.
What pays for translation
- Your own DeepSeek key — needs an activated license and a key saved in Settings → AI Providers. DeepSeek bills your usage directly, with no markup from us.
- Credits — no key and no license needed. One credit translates a file of up to 1,200 subtitle lines; a longer file costs more. Credits never expire and are bought on aisubtitlestudio.com in packs.
With a license and a key, Pay with on the toolbar (or in AI Providers) switches between My DeepSeek key and Credits. With the key chosen, the screen shows no credit offers.
Using credits
When credits pay, the screen shows a credits panel with the packs and your balance. Connect account opens a page in your browser where you type the code the app shows — the code is never put in the link, so never type a code someone else sent you. The app keeps a sign-in token that you can revoke from the Connected apps page on the website or with Sign out in AI Providers. If you are offline, the panel says the balance is unavailable rather than asking you to connect again.
Translation still runs on your computer: the app batches the text and sends the same requests to the credits service, which forwards them to DeepSeek and meters them. Nothing that names your files is sent, only the subtitle text, line counts and languages. Each file reserves its price up front for the lines actually sent (dialogue only, for ASS), is charged for what the calls really cost, and the rest is returned. A run that stops part-way saves the finished batches, leaving the rest blank, and a failure every batch would repeat — out of credits, a rejected key, signing out — stops the run instead of filling the file with gaps.
Loading files
Use Add subtitles to pick subtitle files (SRT, VTT, ASS and SSA) or Add folder to scan a folder, or drop files anywhere on the window. Each file appears as a card with a checkbox, name and line count, a context box and a Whisper-generated toggle. Check all, Uncheck all and Remove all work on the whole list.
Languages, style and context
The toolbar has Source and Target language dropdowns and a Context field that apply to every checked file; each card also has its own context note. The settings popup (gear icon) has:
- Style — Faithful (accurate, close to the source), Natural (fluent and native-sounding, the default) or Cinematic (polished and expressive, for film and TV).
- Batch size — lines per request: 5 (safest) to 20 (fastest), default 10.
- Parallel batches — requests at once: 1 (safe) to 5 (fast), default 3.
- Context lines — preceding lines sent for context, default 2.
- Metric units — converts miles, °F and pounds to metric for target languages that use it.
Write context with AI (your own key only) drafts a short brief about the title: type the title, optionally with its year, and review the result before choosing Use this context. If the AI does not recognise the title, the brief comes from the dialogue alone and the screen says so.
Whisper-generated subtitles
If a subtitle came from AI transcription and may still contain recognition errors such as filler words or misheard names, tick its Whisper-generated box. Translation then corrects those errors in the same pass instead of needing a separate cleanup first.
Translating one file or many
The main Translate button translates the focused file when nothing is checked, or every checked file in turn as Translate (N). A progress window shows lines, batches and, for several files, per-file progress, with a Cancel button. Each file is saved as a new subtitle file next to its source as soon as it finishes. For ASS files only dialogue is translated, and the styling is kept.