# Production Media Translation: Scripts to Key Art | Vitra.ai > A title ships as a dozen separate deliverables and only two of them are the video. The rest is where localization quietly fails almost everywhere. **Canonical URL**: https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/translation-for-production-media **Source**: This is the Markdown rendering of https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/translation-for-production-media, generated at build time from that page. --- 4 min read # Production Media Translation: Scripts to Key Art A title ships as a dozen separate deliverables and only two of them are the video. The rest is where localization quietly fails almost everywhere. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Senior Product Manager , Vitra.ai Updated Aug 17, 2026 ![Production Media Translation: Scripts to Key Art](https://www.vitra.ai/static/images/blog/translation-for-production-media.jpg) Table of contents [The deliverable list](#the-deliverable-list) [Subtitles have engineering rules, not stylistic ones](#subtitles-have-engineering-rules-not-stylistic-ones) [Metadata is undervalued and cheap](#metadata-is-undervalued-and-cheap) [Key art has to work at thumbnail size](#key-art-has-to-work-at-thumbnail-size) [The deliverables, one by one](#the-deliverables-one-by-one) [Where to start](#where-to-start) [FAQ](#faq) Contributors [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Senior Product Manager Subscribe to our newsletter Subscribe > **Quick answer —** Localizing a title is not one job. Script, subtitle files, dub stems, on-screen text, metadata, key art and platform packaging are separate deliverables with separate specifications, and the non-video ones are where it goes wrong. ## The deliverable list Deliverable Format What breaks **Script** Continuity or as-broadcast Timecode alignment **Subtitles** SRT, TTML, IMSC Reading speed, line length, frame rate **Dub audio** Stems delivered separately from M&E Sync, and level matching to the mix **On-screen text** Burned into the picture Requires a new render, not a translation **Metadata** Synopsis, cast, genre, keywords Character limits per platform **Key art** Layered design files Title treatment, and legibility at thumbnail size **Platform package** Each service has its own spec Rejection on delivery, not on quality ## Subtitles have engineering rules, not stylistic ones Reading speed in characters per second, maximum line length, minimum duration, frame-rate conversion. A subtitle that is a perfect translation and sits on screen for eleven frames has failed. Those rules differ by platform and by language, because a language that expands thirty percent against English needs either faster reading or shorter sentences. That trade-off is an editorial decision somebody has to make once and apply consistently, and [quality control](https://www.vitra.ai/features/quality-control) is what enforces it across a slate. ## Metadata is undervalued and cheap Synopses and keywords are what makes a title findable in a territory. They are a few hundred words, they are almost never localized well, and they decide whether anyone reaches the thing you spent months dubbing. ## Key art has to work at thumbnail size A title treatment that reads at poster scale disappears in a grid. Localized key art needs the same legibility test as the original, and [image translation](https://www.vitra.ai/features/image-translation) handles the text layer without a full rebuild. ## The deliverables, one by one Each item on an order behaves differently, and most of the trouble is in the handover rather than the language. Text first: the [dialogue list](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/dialogue-list-translation) is the source everything else is built from, the [dub script](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/dubbing-script-translation) is adapted to fit mouths rather than translated, and [subtitle file formats](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/subtitle-file-formats) decide what survives a conversion. Audio next. Dubbing is impossible without a clean [M&E track](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/music-and-effects-track), and the accessibility pair — [captions against subtitles](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/closed-captions-vs-subtitles) and [audio description](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/audio-description-translation) — is where compliance actually bites. Then the visible layer: [key art](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/key-art-localization), the [trailer](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/trailer-localization), [EPG metadata](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/epg-metadata-translation), and [end credits and on-screen text](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/translate-end-credits). ## Where to start Subtitles and metadata, in that order, before any dubbing spend. [Post-production workflow](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/post-production-localization) covers the pipeline; the capability view is [AI for production media](https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/ai-for-production-media). ## FAQ **What are the actual deliverables in a localized title?** Script, subtitle files, dub stems, on-screen text renders, metadata, key art and a platform-specific package. Only two of them are the video, and the rest is where localization usually fails. **Why do subtitles have engineering rules?** Because reading speed, line length, minimum duration and frame rate all constrain them. A perfect translation that sits on screen for eleven frames has failed regardless of how it reads. **Why is metadata worth localizing first?** Because synopses and keywords decide whether a title is findable in a territory. They run to a few hundred words and determine whether anyone reaches the content you spent months dubbing. **What does localized key art need that the original does not?** The same legibility test at thumbnail size. A title treatment that works at poster scale can disappear in a grid, and an expanded translated title makes that worse. Our blog ## Lastest blog posts Tool and strategies modern teams need to help their companies grow. Automotive [Automotive Brochure Localization by Market](https://www.vitra.ai/automotive/automotive-brochure-localization) A car brochure is a spec grid, a legal footer and a photo library, all market-specific. What actually has to change, and why the layout decides the schedule. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Aug 18, 2026 Automotive [Automotive Campaign Localization Across Markets](https://www.vitra.ai/automotive/automotive-campaign-localization) Campaigns run through national companies and dealer networks, so one master becomes hundreds of files. Where the offer text and the disclaimers actually break. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Aug 18, 2026 Automotive [Car Service Manual Translation for Technicians](https://www.vitra.ai/automotive/automotive-service-manual-translation) A workshop manual is read mid-repair by someone with the car on a lift. What that demands of procedures, torque figures and fault codes, in every language. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Aug 18, 2026 [View all posts](https://www.vitra.ai/blog/page/1) --- ## Structured data ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.vitra.ai/production-media/translation-for-production-media" }, "headline": "Production Media Translation: Scripts to Key Art", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.vitra.ai/static/images/blog/translation-for-production-media.jpg" } ], "datePublished": "2026-08-17T00:00:00.000Z", "dateModified": "2026-08-17T00:00:00.000Z", "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samhitha J Bhatt" } ], "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Vitra.ai", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.vitra.ai/static/images/vitra-v-logo.png" } }, "description": "A title ships as a dozen separate deliverables and only two of them are the video. 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