How to Get Paid to Write Subtitles & 10 Best Companies That Pay (2024)

Subtitling is a fun job, and if you’re good at listening to someone and then writing subtitles for their content, there is a lot of demand for this.

But how do you get paid to write subtitles?

We’ll go over the best companies to work with, and also how you can get paid to write these types of subtitles for other people!

Can You Make Money Writing Subtitles?

Of course you can make money from writing subtitles.

Subtitling is an in-demand field since it is one that people can benefit from, regardless.

There will always be deaf people or those who would prefer to have the subtitles on when watching something.

And, of course, as someone who helps to write subtitles, you’ll be able to help people understand what’s going on.

Some of the benefits include:

• You help people understand what’s said
• It’s great for translating content
• It gives meaning that otherwise might be missed

Subtitling jobs are ones that do require a bit of work, but the results are worth it.

How to Get Paid to Write Subtitles

There are plenty of different ways to get paid to write subtitles, and here, we’ll go over how you can get paid to do so.

1. Get Paid Writing the Subtitles from Scratch

The most common way is you’re looking at subtitles, and then you have to write these from scratch.

It does involve you listening to someone, creating accurate subtitles that’ll help people understand what’s going on in the content.

In general, this also may involve captioning for the hard of hearing, but usually, you’re just writing the different subtitles of what’s being said.

GoTranscript offers plenty of subtitling services for you to start with.

2. Quality Control

You also may run quality control on subtitles, which means that you’re fixing any grammatical, proofing, punctuation errors, and also make sure they synchronize with the content that you’re working on.

Capital captions offer this, and they do quality control on both English subtitles and also foreign subtitles in order to make sure everything’s translated correctly.

3. Open Captioning

Closed captioning is when you can turn off the subtitles, but open captioning is the opposite. People actually watch full videos when there are captions.

This is something lots of marketers are trying to use more and more, and when you create these open captions, you need to have the video and any files that are needed.

This is oftentimes called “burning on” subtitles, and it’s a market that’s growing since more and more people want to have these subtitles on there since it doesn’t leave anyone out.

Rev handles all kinds of caption jobs, but open captioning and burning this onto a video is one of the services they mention.

4. Subtitle Translation

If you’re bilingual or can speak multiple languages, this is a good market to go into.

That’s because there are plenty out there who need people to subtitle their content for other audiences, especially if it’s in a different language.

It communicates the story better, and with these captions on, it’ll help viewers understand.

This could also involve subtitles in English or perhaps in other languages. The possibilities are endless with this.

It does require you to understand the language you’re subtitling, or else something will get lost in translation, literally.

If you are good at subtitling and translation, Language Line Solutions is a great option.

Now that you know the four main ways to get paid for writing subtitles let’s dive into the 10 best companies that help you do this.

5. Get Paid to Write Subtitles for YouTube Videos

Yes, you can also get paid and make money writing subtitles on YouTube videos.

You can be one of those who write subtitles for YouTube videos, making the videos easy for people to watch who do not want to listen or have hearing problems.

The subtitles are those captions at the bottom of the YouTube videos.

10 Best Companies That Pay You to Write Subtitles

Ready to make some money writing subtitles? Then look no further at these 10 great companies that pay you to do so or help you get paid doing so!

1. Aberdeen

For those who want to work as an offline captioner and subtitler, this is a good way to start.

They also do require you to edit subtitles too, so you’ll get paid to both write and edit as needed.

It is Christian-based, so on top of being good at writing subtitles, you do need to have a good idea of the terminology used in Christian media.

You can make up to $75 an hour as a real-time captioner and subtitler, but usually, it’s about $12-15 to start.

It’s a good place to start, especially if you’re looking to work more in subtitles than ever before.

Visit this link to check out Aberdeen

2. AI Media

Another popular one that offers subtitle services and captioning services is AI media.

Amazon, Mozilla, and Shopify use this for their subtitling and closed captioning service, but they also do work with a variety of different industries.

Those who work for them can subtitle videos and make about $42 an hour if you’re doing this frequently.

They do offer remote jobs where you can work whenever you feel like it.

This is primarily available in Australia and the UK, but there are some USA-based jobs too if you look through the careers they offer.

Visit this link to check out AI Media

3. Fiverr

Fiverr is a freelance marketplace where for just $5, you can do a job.

There’s a variety of different ways, but if you want to get started with subtitling jobs and need a good base to springboard off of, this is recommended.

You can find subtitling jobs, and they’re pretty easy to find.

You can search on their site for these kinds of jobs specifically and go up.

Do remember that you won’t be making big bucks right away, but you’ll be able to get more and more money with all of the jobs that you complete as well.

Visit this link to check out Fiverr

4. FlexJobs

This one is also similar to Fiverr, but the budgets tend to be a little bit higher and are for more remote work types.

You do need to pay to use this site, a fee of $6.95 each week, but you can browse for jobs.

If you do find one that works for you, you just pay the subscription, apply, and go from there.

While this isn’t the favorite of many, with the number of subtitling jobs on there, this is a great resource if you want to use it and can offer you some remote work.

Visit this link to check out FlexJobs

Also See: How to Make Money Selling Drama Lyrics.

5. Happy Scribe

Happy Scribe is a subtitling company that offers subtitle and transcription services solely. Their pricing is fair as well.

You do need to take an assessment exam before you get hired, and they will inform you on whether or not you’ve made it.

From there, you can browse an array of jobs and start working on those files that you want to do.

From there, you just take jobs and work. They do bank transfers on a bi-weekly basis that are on time.

It’s a good place to start if you do have subtitling and transcription experience and want to put it to the test.

Visit this link to check out Happy Scribe

6. Netflix

Of course, Netflix has subtitle jobs since they offer a wide array of different programs in multiple languages.

However, this is a very competitive company, so you will want to really showcase your qualifications and the experience you have before you apply to this.

It is typically a freelancing job, and it can be done at home.

It’s not easy to do, but if you apply with their partners, they notice this, and they’ll want to work with you even more.

It does have a lot of remunerative benefits, though, especially when you do eventually get hired since you can make up to $69K each year just working for them.

Visit this link to check out Netflix

7. Visual Data

Want to be seen by Netflix? This is probably the best company to work with.

Visual data has a lot of positions for you to check out, compensation with benefits, and a good environment that encourages collaboration and teamwork.

They have a variety of different translation services, and you can reach out to contact them immediately.

Most of it is in-person, though, but they might offer remote jobs if you’re interested in that.

Visit this link to check out Visual Data

8. Vitec Captioning

Vitec is a subtitle and caption company, formerly known as Caption Colorado.

They are one of the largest companies that hire those who caption and subtitle, and they look for those who are good at various technical skills and fit this.

They do require you to have good typing, accuracy, and knowledge of certain movie and TV captions.

The company handles a ton of captions, about 600 hours each day.

They start you off at about $20 an hour, which isn’t terrible.

They do have jobs directly on-site or remotely, which include technical services, marketing, administration, coordinators, and also other subtitling services.

Overall, if you have the skill to do this, it’s worth a shot to apply to them since there is always a chance that you might get hired.

Visit this link to check out Vitac

Read this for legit companies that pay you to type.

9. SpeechPad

This company offers transcription, captioning, and subtitling jobs.

Right now, a standard caption job here gets about $2.50 for each minute, sometimes more for foreign languages.

They have clients that pay you quickly, and they take pride in being accurate.

The one downside about this is that you have to be ready to work with really strict deadlines, since most clients want these back within 24 hours or less, so you have to be timely with this.

But, if you’re good at this, you can get paid $4 for a minute of captions and get paid twice weekly in a lot of cases.

Visit this link to check out SpeechPad

Also See: How to Invest and Get Paid Money Daily & How to Achieve Financial Security.

10. Caption Max

Finally, there’s Caption Max, which is great for beginners.

They offer to caption and subtitling jobs for those who want to work from home.

It was founded back in 1992, and they work with some major companies, including Sony, NBC, and Warner Bros too!

The payment is usually about 14-23 an hour for those who are working as freelancers, so it’s pretty good for beginners.

It does require a resume, some samples, and a small assessment, but this is beginner-friendly if you want to start working with subtitles.

Visit this link to check out CaptionMax

Get Paid to Write Subtitles FAQs

Is It Good to Go Into Writing Subtitles?

It is a great way to make some money if you’re good at following what people say and can write it down accurately.

The experience isn’t totally needed since as long as you know different languages and have a good grip of the English language, you’re good to go.

What Is the Downside to Getting Paid to Write Subtitles?

Unless you’re getting a salaried job, it is not something that’s considered full-time, but rather a side hustle for the most part.

It also is a field that’s competitive, and you will experience a lot of rejection when you start out, especially if you’re new to this.

Sometimes as well, if you’re working with bad audio, it’ll be harder to do accurate subtitles for this, and it can take much longer.

Overall though, if you’re good at subtitling stuff, you should definitely consider getting paid to write subtitles.

How Hard Is It to Get Paid to Write Subtitles?

It is not hard so long as you’re proficient in the language and you fully understand what the original language is saying, in most cases, the language that you’re translating.

Most companies also want to make sure that the message is accurate, and it’ll showcase that you know what is said.

Bad subtitles can ruin a series or piece of media, and if you don’t know the language or the colloquialisms of this, it can affect how it’s presented.

That’s why it’s not something to consider unless you can fully keep up with what’s being said and are able to provide a good, accurate subtitle so that those who need it can fully understand.

Check out the following related articles for more tips on making money captioning:

• Read This for How to Get Paid to Caption Videos
• Read This for Where to Find Captioning Jobs For Beginners
• Read This to Make Money With Closed Captioning Jobs

Conclusion

Getting paid to write subtitles is totally possible, and we went over here how you can do it.

It’s not easy in the least, but it’s a good way to make some money, and if you’re good at writing these subtitles, then, by all means, try it out and see if it’s good for you.