Help & answers

Frequently asked questions

The essentials on finding synchronized subtitles, translating them and keeping your profile private.

Which subtitle providers can I connect?

Connect at least one: OpenSubtitles with an API key, username and password, or SubDL or SubSource with an API key. You can connect more than one, and SubTranslate searches every connected provider. Gemini is separate and needed only when you create a new translation.

Can I use the official OpenSubtitles V3 addon instead?

Its subtitle results cannot be shared directly with SubTranslate. Connect OpenSubtitles here, or use SubDL or SubSource instead. You can also connect more than one provider to broaden the search.

Is it possible to self-host the addon?

Not currently. SubTranslate is offered as a hosted service, and there is no public self-hosting package or source release at the moment. An official self-hosted option may be considered in the future, but there is no timeline for it.

Does SubTranslate translate subtitles directly from my stream or another addon?

No. A subtitle addon needs an actual text subtitle source to translate. SubTranslate does not read an embedded or another addon's loaded subtitle text or extract media tracks on the public server.

How does SubTranslate keep subtitles in sync?

It lists matching subtitles from your connected providers and Gemini translates only the cue text. Each cue keeps its original start and end time. OpenSubtitles can use a video hash or release filename for stronger release matching.

Can a completed translation be reused by other viewers?

Yes, but only when it is safe. Reuse prefers an exact video-hash match. When no hash is available, the fallback requires the same normalized release filename and content ID. A title ID alone is never enough to reuse a subtitle for a different release.

Do I always need a Gemini API key?

No. Gemini is needed only to create a new AI translation. If a connected provider finds subtitles in your selected language, SubTranslate can serve that subtitle without translating it.

How many Gemini requests does a translation use?

SubTranslate uses Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite by default and translates subtitle text in bounded batches. The exact number of requests depends on subtitle length, number of cues and any retries. In a test of four films and two TV episodes, 6,940 subtitle cues used 73 Gemini requests in total, or about 12 requests per title on average. Individual titles used between 6 and 20 requests. As a dialogue-heavy example, 12 Angry Men used 28 requests. On the current Gemini free tier, eligible accounts can receive up to 500 requests per day. Even with a conservative estimate of 20 requests per film, that is roughly 25 translations in a day. Google can change quotas by model, account or region, so check your current limit in Google AI Studio. Based on these tests, most normal viewers should be unlikely to reach the daily limit with Flash-Lite.

What happens while a translation is in progress?

Selecting a virtual target-language track starts or returns the matching job. While it is queued or translating, SubTranslate returns a status message. Reopen the subtitle menu when the job has finished to choose the completed track.

Which languages and clients are supported?

Each profile can select a preferred target language and an optional, different secondary language from the Gemini-supported languages. English is the current AI source language. SubTranslate is designed for Stremio/Nuvio and compatible clients that support external WebVTT subtitle tracks; how labels are displayed can vary by app and version.

How do I manage the same profile on another device?

After creating a profile, save the profile ID and password. You can use them on the configuration page to recover and manage the same profile from another browser or device.

Are my credentials private?

Provider credentials are encrypted on the server and are never embedded in your public Stremio manifest URL. Read the privacy and security details.