Subtitle Coherence Apr 2026

This involves how the text interacts with the cinematography.

: A subtitle should stay on screen for at least one second to be "readable" by the human eye. 3. Visual & Spatial Coherence

: Ensuring the tone of the text matches the character’s social status, era, and emotional state. 2. Temporal Coherence (Timing) subtitle Coherence

: Subtitles should appear exactly when a person begins speaking and disappear shortly after they finish.

: Maintaining the original message's "truth" even when word counts are reduced. This involves how the text interacts with the cinematography

: Typically, subtitles follow the "six-second rule" (allowing roughly 12–15 characters per second). If the text stays on screen too long or disappears too fast, the viewer’s cognitive rhythm is broken.

: According to research on the Semiotics of Subtitling , subtitles should ideally not "hang" over a camera cut. A cut signals a new visual idea; keeping an old subtitle across a cut can cause the viewer to re-read the same line. Visual & Spatial Coherence : Ensuring the tone

: Text must be placed within the "Title Safe" area to prevent it from being cut off by different screen aspect ratios.