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Subtitles and multi-language support

Learn how to add subtitles to your videos and support multilingual experiences.

Written by Cody Iddings

Note: Media Library updates are rolling out over the next week. You may still be seeing an older version of the Media Library.

Video Subtitles and Captions

Makeshapes supports adding subtitles (also called captions or closed captions) to videos in your experiences. Subtitles improve accessibility and help participants who are non-native speakers or prefer to read along with the video.

How subtitle support works by video type:

Uploaded Videos (Recommended for subtitles)

For videos you upload directly to Makeshapes, you have full control over subtitles:

How to add subtitles to uploaded videos:

  1. Go to your Media Library (click the Media tab or visit /media-library)

  2. Click on the video you want to add subtitles to

  3. Scroll to the Subtitles section

  4. Click Add subtitle track

  5. Upload a VTT (WebVTT) subtitle file (max 5MB)

  6. Select the language from the dropdown (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, and more)

  7. Optionally add a custom label (e.g., "English (US)" or "Spanish (Mexico)")

  8. Click Upload

  9. Wait a few seconds for processing

  10. The subtitle track will appear in the list

Managing subtitle tracks:

  • Add multiple languages - Upload separate VTT files for each language

  • Set a default track - Mark one language to show automatically when the video plays

  • Replace a track - Use the Replace with a new VTT file button in the Subtitle Viewer footer to swap a track for a new version of the same language. See Replace a subtitle track below for the full flow.

  • Download tracks - Download your VTT files from the viewer footer to edit or back up

  • Delete tracks - Remove subtitle tracks you no longer need from the viewer footer

  • Stable order - Tracks are listed with English first, then alphabetically. Editing a track no longer reshuffles it to the bottom of the list.

  • Helpful error messages - If a track fails to process, the reason from our video provider is shown inline on the track. Re-uploading the same language clears the errored track automatically.

File requirements:

  • Format: VTT (WebVTT) only

  • Size: Maximum 5MB

  • Encoding: UTF-8

  • Must start with "WEBVTT" at the beginning of the file

Creating VTT files:

VTT (WebVTT) files are plain text files with timestamps. You can create them with:

  • Subtitle editors like Subtitle Edit (free)

  • Video editing software that exports VTT format

  • Text editor (for simple subtitles)

Basic VTT format example:

YouTube Videos

Subtitles are not available for YouTube videos in Makeshapes — YouTube's API does not expose its caption tracks to us, so the captions button is hidden on YouTube embeds. To add subtitles, upload your video directly to Makeshapes.

Vimeo Videos

For Vimeo videos, manage subtitles in your Vimeo account:

  1. Go to your video in Vimeo

  2. Navigate to the video's settings

  3. Add captions/subtitles in Vimeo's caption manager

  4. Subtitles will automatically appear when the video plays in Makeshapes

Note: Subtitles from Vimeo may appear with different styling than uploaded videos. For the best subtitle experience and full control over formatting, we recommend uploading your videos directly to Makeshapes.

Subtitle Viewer

Subtitle tracks are not just for video — audio assets support them too. Open the Subtitle Viewer to preview, navigate, and edit a track without leaving the Media Library.

Opening the viewer

  1. Open the Media Library and click a video or audio asset to open its details.

  2. In the Subtitles section, find the track you want to view and click the eye icon on that row. The track has to be in a ready state — tracks that are still processing will not open until they finish.

What is in the viewer

  • Synced player — play, pause, and scrub through the media as normal.

  • Karaoke-style cue highlight — the cue that is playing is highlighted in the cue list and auto-scrolls into view as playback advances.

  • Click any timecode in the cue list to jump straight to that point in the media.

  • Inline editing — click a cue's text to edit it, then save. While a track has unsaved edits, you will see an Edited badge on it; saving uses a brief loading state.

Replace a subtitle track

If you need to swap out a track entirely — for example, after editing the VTT externally — use the Replace with a new VTT file button (rotate icon) in the viewer's footer:

  1. Click Replace with a new VTT file.

  2. Choose your new .vtt file (still capped at 5MB).

  3. Confirm the prompt — it warns you that the existing track will be deleted along with any unsaved cue edits.

  4. While the swap is in progress, a spinner appears on the button and the modal stays locked (the ESC key, overlay click, X, and Cancel are all blocked) until the replacement finishes.

If the upload fails partway through: The new file is uploaded after the old one is deleted, so a partial-failure state is possible if your network drops at the wrong moment. If that happens, a recovery banner appears in the modal explaining what went wrong so you can re-upload without losing the rest of your work.

Resizable Edit Video preview

The video preview in the Edit Video modal — the same modal you open subtitle management from — is now resizable. Drag the handle below the player to make the preview taller or shorter (between 80 and 600 pixels). Subtitles continue to render correctly at any size.

During the Experience: Activating Captions

How participants access captions:

Once you've added subtitle tracks to your videos, participants can activate them during the experience:

  1. During video playback, look for the captions/subtitles button on the video player controls

  2. Click or tap the CC (closed captions) icon

  3. Select the preferred language from the available options

  4. Captions will appear on the video

  5. The selected language continues throughout the entire experience

Where to find the captions control:

  • Group display - Available on the main video player

  • Host controls - Hosts can activate captions for the group

Accessibility and Best Practices

Ask your participants:

At the start of your session, ask if anyone would benefit from activating closed captions. Some participants may need them for accessibility, while others may prefer them for better comprehension.

Why use subtitles:

  • Accessibility - Helps deaf or hard-of-hearing participants

  • Comprehension - Aids non-native speakers

  • Focus - Helps participants who learn better by reading

  • Noisy environments - Allows participation even with audio issues

  • Technical difficulties - Provides backup if audio fails

Best Practices for Subtitles

For creators:

  • Upload videos directly - This gives you full subtitle control

  • Add multiple languages - Support your diverse audience

  • Set a default track - Choose the most common language for your audience

  • Test subtitles - Preview videos to ensure subtitles are accurate and well-timed

  • Use clear labels - If you have multiple variants (e.g., "English (UK)" vs "English (US)")

  • Keep file sizes small - Compress or trim subtitle files if needed

For hosts:

  • Announce subtitle availability - Let participants know captions are available

  • Show how to activate - Demonstrate where the CC button is located

  • Check technical setup - Ensure captions work before your session

  • Be inclusive - Ask if anyone needs captions activated

Creating quality subtitles:

  • Accurate timing - Match subtitles to the spoken words precisely

  • Appropriate length - Keep lines readable (2-3 seconds per subtitle)

  • Proper punctuation - Makes reading easier

  • Speaker identification - Use brackets for speaker names: [John]: Welcome everyone

  • Sound descriptions - Include [music playing] or [applause] for context

Troubleshooting

Subtitles not appearing:

  • Check that the video has finished processing

  • Ensure subtitle tracks show as "Ready" in the Media Library

  • Verify the VTT file is properly formatted

  • Try uploading the subtitle file again

Can't upload subtitle file:

  • Ensure file is VTT format (not SRT or other formats)

  • Check file size is under 5MB

  • Verify file encoding is UTF-8

  • Make sure you don't already have a subtitle for that language

Upload failed:

  • Check your internet connection

  • Wait a moment and try again

  • If the issue persists, try a different browser

Processing taking too long:

  • Subtitle processing usually takes just a few seconds

  • Refresh the page to check if processing completed

  • If still processing after several minutes, contact support

Multi-language Experiences

Some Makeshapes experiences support multiple interface languages. This is different from video subtitles - it changes the language of the entire experience interface, including activity instructions, buttons, and prompts.

Available languages:

Currently, Makeshapes supports the following interface languages for select experiences:

  • Spanish (Mexican)

  • Spanish (Argentinian)

  • French (Canadian)

  • Dutch

Note: At this time, only certain Makeshapes experiences support different interface languages. Most experiences are in English.

How to select a language:

Users can select their preferred interface language during host registration by:

  1. Starting the experience

  2. Looking for the Language option during registration

  3. Selecting their preferred language from the dropdown

  4. Proceeding with the experience in that language

Summary

  • Uploaded videos - Full subtitle control via VTT file upload in Media Library

  • YouTube videos - No subtitle support in Makeshapes (manage in YouTube Studio if needed)

  • Vimeo videos - Manage subtitles in Vimeo (some styling limitations)

  • Multiple languages - Upload separate VTT files for each language

  • Accessibility - Always ask participants if they need captions activated

  • Interface languages - Select experience language during host registration (limited experiences)

For more information on uploading and managing videos, see Managing media content .

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