WORKSHOP/PROJECTS/AI Subtitle Translator
PROJECT STUDY / SIGNATURE 06

AI Subtitle Translator

The reviewed Laravel source separates parsing, AI translation, quality checks, and file reconstruction. That separation lets the experience explain what succeeded and what still needs review.

This study describes features present in the project source. A public release link is not provided here.

The short introduction ↗
THE PROBLEM

A task worth simplifying.

Keep a subtitle translation workflow clear, even when there are multiple files and languages involved.

WHO IT HELPS

People translating SRT, VTT, ASS/SSA subtitles or text-based PDF and DOCX documents.

01

Subtitle formats

SRT and VTT parsing, plus ASS/SSA handling. VTT headers, cue settings, and supporting sections receive format-specific treatment.

02

Document translation

Text-based PDFs can produce Unicode multipage PDFs. DOCX translation covers main body paragraphs and tables.

03

Explicit completion states

The source distinguishes translated and failed blocks instead of presenting a partial job as fully complete.

INTENTIONAL CHOICES

The reasoning behind the build.

CHOICE / 01

Protect structure before text generation

Timing, identifiers, and inline formatting need different handling from the words being translated.

CHOICE / 02

Make provider choice visible

The reviewed source does not silently switch away from an explicitly selected unavailable provider. That is a useful boundary for a workflow involving external services.

The approach

Parse supported files into translation units, preserve subtitle timing and protected placeholders, translate through the selected provider, and reconstruct a downloadable output.

THE WORKFLOW

From input to output.

A source-level explanation of the main steps. Deployment and settings can affect the exact behavior.

  1. 01

    Read the structure

    Parse subtitle cues or document text before sending the translatable parts onward.

  2. 02

    Translate with context

    The source includes a glossary and previous-context window, plus integrations for Groq, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Anthropic. A configured provider key is required.

  3. 03

    Check and rebuild

    Restore timing and protected structure, then identify translated and failed blocks. Partial output keeps failed blocks in their original language.

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND

Useful tools have boundaries.

Have a useful idea?

Tell me about the problem and the result you want. We can start with a focused scope.

Plan the first step