What Are Forced Subtitles?

Direct definition

Forced subtitles are cues that appear even when the viewer has subtitles turned off, typically for foreign-language lines, signs, or in-world text that the story requires everyone to read.

The sections below explain how forced subtitles is used in transcription and subtitle work, what people often mix up, and which VideoText workflow applies when the next step is a file or review pass.

Key takeaways

• Forced tracks are a subset of cues, not a full translation.
• Naming conventions vary by platform (forced, forced narrative).
• They are not a substitute for SDH or closed captions.

Example

An English-language film leaves French radio chatter untranslated in the mix and uses a forced cue only for those lines.

Related terms

• subtitles
• closed captions
• localization
• All glossary terms

Sources

1. W3C: WebVTT (timed text tracks in HTML)