To turn a video into subtitles, send it to the Potok bot on Telegram and export the transcript as SRT or VTT. The lines come with time ranges, ready for a player or editor. Videos up to 2 GB are accepted, and the picture is not used.
Transcribe a recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram
Files up to 2 GB · export to TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT · speaker labels and timestamps · about 30 languages
Key facts
- Subtitles help viewers who watch without sound and viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Subtitle files can be edited in plain text, so correcting a name does not need special software.
- SRT suits most editors and players, while VTT is the choice for web players.
- Subtitles carry speech only. Sound effects and music cues have to be added by hand if you want them.
How to do it
- Pick the final video. Subtitles follow the sound of the exact file you send, so use the cut you plan to publish.
- Open the bot. Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram and press Start.
- Send the video. Attach the file. A heavy video, up to 2 GB, goes through the Upload button of the mini app.
- Choose where it will play. For a desktop editor or a media player, export SRT. For a web page player, export VTT.
- Proofread the lines. Open the file in a text editor, read it with the video running, and correct words, names and line breaks.
- Add the subtitle file. Upload it with the video or load it as a subtitle track in the player.
What the result looks like
[00:00] Speaker 1: In this video I show how to reset the router.
[00:04] Speaker 1: Find the small button on the back and hold it down.
Sample text written by us to show the layout of a transcript. It is not the output of the recognition engine and not a real recording.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Where it works | Telegram bot @potok_now_bot; large files go through the bot's mini app |
| File size | Up to 2 GB |
| Export | TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT |
| Speakers and time | Speaker labels and timestamps can be switched on |
| Languages | About 30 languages with good published results; a few more with warnings |
| Translation | The transcript is not translated into another language |
| Dictation | A separate Potok desktop app lets you dictate text into any program; it recognises Russian speech |
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Assuming auto subtitles are ready to publish | Recognition errors reach every viewer, and they are most visible on names and product terms. | Read through the file once with the video playing. |
| Using one long block of text as a subtitle | Viewers lose the connection between the words and the speaker's face. | Keep cues short and let each stay on screen for a few seconds. |
| Forgetting sound that is not speech | A viewer without sound misses a doorbell or a laugh that matters to the scene. | Add short notes in brackets by hand where they matter. |
| Picking the wrong format for the platform | The upload form refuses the file or shows no text. | Check whether the platform asks for SRT or VTT and export that one. |
More
See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Can the bot make subtitles from a video?
Yes. It transcribes the speech and exports SRT or VTT, with a time range for every cue.
Who needs subtitles?
Viewers who watch without sound and viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, among others.
Can I change the text afterwards?
Yes. Subtitle files are plain text and can be edited in any text editor.
Should I choose SRT or VTT?
SRT works in most editors and players. VTT is meant for web players that use the HTML track element.
Are subtitles translated?
No. They stay in the language of the speech.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- Subtitle (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- SubRip and the .srt format (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- WebVTT: The Web Video Text Tracks Format (W3C), W3C · checked
Try it on your own recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram