Getting started
The app has two modes:
| Mode | Where does the translation appear? | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| PC Mode | On your PC screen, above the original subtitle | You watch a film or series, or play a game, on your PC |
| Android TV Mode | On an Android TV on the same Wi-Fi network | You stream the picture from your PC to the TV, or want to read the translation on the TV |
First launch
When you open the app, the Subvoce logo appears first while the translation model loads (this can take a few seconds). Then the main window opens.
Window layout
- Sidebar: switches between the Control Panel, PC Mode and Android TV pages. Opening the PC Mode or Android TV page also selects that mode (the mode does not change while translation is running).
- Language: at the bottom of the sidebar, just above the version number, you can choose the interface language (Türkçe / English). Changing it asks to restart the app; if you choose “No”, the new language applies next time.
- Status badge: the badge in the bottom left shows what the app is doing (e.g. Ready, Running).
- Step bar: at the top, it shows Screen Capture → OCR → Translation → Output; the steps light up while translation is running.
Selecting the subtitle area
Subvoce only reads the rectangle you select, so the first and most important step is selecting where the subtitles appear.
Step by step
- Open the video or game and make sure a subtitle is visible on screen (you can pause the video).
- Press Start translation in Subvoce. If you have not selected an area yet, the Subvoce window shrinks and the screen dims.
- With your mouse, click one corner of the area where subtitles appear, drag and release. While dragging, the selection size is shown in pixels.
- As soon as you release, the area is saved, the Subvoce window returns and translation starts on its own.
How to select a good area
- Cover every subtitle line. Make the area a little larger than the longest and tallest subtitle, so two-line subtitles fit too.
- Don’t include extra space. Everything inside the area gets read; logos, clocks or game HUD text can end up in the translation.
- Select only the subtitle strip, not the whole screen. A small area is read faster and is lighter on your PC.
- Very small selections (a few pixels) are rejected; if you clicked by accident, just drag again.
Changing the area
Select the area again whenever the video size, game window or subtitle position changes:
- In the Control Panel: Current settings → Capture area → Change, or
- click the Screen Capture step in the step bar at the top.
The area can only be changed while translation is stopped, so press Stop translation first. The size of the selected area is shown in the Control Panel on the “Capture area” row.
PC Mode
In PC Mode, the Turkish translation appears on your PC as a separate subtitle layer above the video or game.
Starting and stopping
- Open the PC Mode page from the sidebar.
- Press the yellow Start translation button in the top right (or Ctrl+Enter). If no area is selected yet, area selection opens first.
- To stop, press the same button (it now reads Stop translation) or Ctrl+Enter again. When it stops, the translation disappears from the screen.
The subtitle layer never blocks clicks or steals focus from the game or player; your clicks go to the window underneath. The layer is also hidden from screen capture, so Subvoce never reads its own translation.
Subtitle layer settings
Every setting applies and saves instantly; you can change them while translation is running.
| Setting | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| PC Subtitle Layer (switch) | On / Off | Shows or hides the translation on screen. When off, translation still runs and appears in the preview. |
| Position | Bottom centre, Top centre, Above the subtitle area, Custom area… | Where the translation sits on screen. |
| Font size | 16 – 72 px | Size of the translated text. Default 28 px. |
| Background | Off, Dark 40%, Dark 72%, Dark 90% | Opacity of the dark box behind the text; improves readability in bright scenes. |
| Text colour | Any colour | Opens a colour picker. Default white. |
| Keep subtitle on top | On / Off | When on, the translation also shows above full-screen video. Turn it on if you can’t see the translation. |
| Show previous line | On / Off | When a new translation arrives, the previous one stays above it, slightly smaller and dimmer. Handy for fast dialogue. |
Position options
- Bottom centre / Top centre: the translation appears centred at the bottom (above the taskbar) or top of the screen.
- Above the subtitle area: the translation sits right above the area you selected, for when you want to see the original and the Turkish together.
- Custom area…: the screen dims and you drag the rectangle where the translation should appear (just like selecting the subtitle area). Afterwards the list shows the custom area’s size.
Live Subtitle Preview
The dark card on the right shows the English text that was read and its Turkish translation. Below it you see the session time and the number of subtitles translated.
Speaker names
If a subtitle starts with a name, like “JOHN: Where are you going?”, the name isn’t translated and is shown in a different colour. When a game writes the name in a different colour from the sentence, Subvoce also tries to recognise it as a speaker name.
Android TV Mode
In Android TV Mode, the translation isn’t shown on the PC; it is sent to the Subvoce TV app running on an Android TV on the same Wi-Fi network.
What you need
- The PC and the Android TV must be on the same network (same router/Wi-Fi).
- The Subvoce TV app must be installed on the TV.
- If Windows asks “Windows Firewall has blocked some features of this app” the first time, allow Private networks; otherwise the TV can’t connect.
Connecting step by step
- Open the Android TV page from the sidebar. This selects TV mode and starts the server the TV connects to.
- The Device Connection card shows the server address (for example
ws://192.168.1.42:8765). The same address also appears in the WebSocket Status card on the right. Use Copy address to copy it. - Open the Subvoce TV app on the TV and enter this address.
- Once connected, the TV appears by name in the Found Devices list. The first TV to connect is selected automatically.
- Press Start streaming in the top right (or Ctrl+Enter). If no subtitle area is selected yet, area selection opens first. Press the same button (Stop streaming) to stop.
Cards and buttons on this page
| Section | What it shows / does |
|---|---|
| Device Connection | Connection status (Starting, Waiting, Connected, Error) and the server address. The button changes with the status: Copy address, Disconnect, Retry or Start server. |
| Network latency | Delay between the PC and the TV (ms). Lower is better. |
| Last signal | When the TV was last heard from (e.g. “3 s ago”). |
| Found Devices | TVs connected to this PC, each with its IP address and signal quality (Excellent / Good / Fair / Weak). With more than one TV, choose the one that receives subtitles with Select; it is marked “Selected”. |
| Rescan | Polls connected devices again; restarts the server if it reported an error. |
| WebSocket Status | Server address, session ID and the number of messages sent to the TV. |
| Live Subtitle Preview | Shows the translation sent to the TV on your PC as well. |
Each subtitle sent to the TV also carries the previous translation and the speaker name, if any; the TV app shows them according to its own settings.
Control Panel and shared settings
The Control Panel gathers the settings shared by both modes and the app’s live performance on one screen. Its Start translation button runs in the currently selected mode (PC or Android TV).
Scan interval
The scan interval sets how often Subvoce looks at the subtitle area you selected. The default is 0.5 s; use the − and + buttons to set it between 0.2 and 10 seconds in 0.1 s steps. Changes apply instantly, even while translation is running.
- Shorter interval (e.g. 0.3 s): new subtitles are noticed sooner and the translation appears earlier. If subtitles change often, your PC works a little harder.
- Longer interval (e.g. 1 s): lighter on your PC, but the translation arrives a little after the subtitle.
- While a subtitle stays the same, Subvoce skips reading it, so a short interval adds no load as long as the screen doesn’t change.
Translation model
Choose one of two translation models in Current settings → Model:
| Model | Quality | Speed | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NLLB 600M · Most accurate (default) | Best | Normal | Everyone; try this first |
| OPUS-MT · Faster | Slightly lower | Several times faster | If translations feel late, or on slower PCs |
The model can only be changed while translation is stopped. The new model loads in the background; meanwhile the Engine Status card reads “Loading model…”.
Other cards
- Live Subtitle Preview: the English text that was read, its Turkish translation and the reading confidence (OCR confidence %).
- Performance: how many milliseconds reading (OCR), translation and the total took for the last frame. The total shows how long after a subtitle appears its translation shows up.
- Engine Status: the reading engine and the translation model in use.
- Current settings: the selected capture area (re-select with Change), model, processing unit (CPU · Local) and scan interval.
Keyboard shortcuts
- CtrlEnter
- Start or stop translation / streaming
- Ctrl1
- Control Panel
- Ctrl2
- PC Mode
- Ctrl3
- Android TV
Frequently asked questions
No translation shows up. What should I do?
Check the Live Subtitle Preview. If it says “Waiting for subtitles…”, Subvoce doesn’t see any text in the area: select the area again so it fully covers the subtitle. If the preview shows a translation but the screen doesn’t, make sure the PC Subtitle Layer switch and “Keep subtitle on top” are on.
The translation arrives after the subtitle.
Lower the scan interval to 0.3 s. If it’s still late, switch to the “OPUS-MT · Faster” model in the Control Panel. Limiting the capture area to just the subtitle strip also helps.
Sometimes meaningless or wrong text gets translated.
Usually text other than the subtitle is inside the area (a logo, game HUD). Make the area smaller. Text read with low confidence isn’t translated anyway, and the translation on screen is kept.
Is the same subtitle translated again and again?
No. If the text on screen is the same as, or very close to, the previous one, it isn’t translated again. When the subtitle disappears, the translation is cleared too.
Does Subvoce read and re-translate its own translation?
No. The subtitle layer is hidden from screen capture; this requires Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) or Windows 11.
Do I need internet? Does my data go anywhere?
No. Reading and translation happen entirely on your PC. In Android TV Mode, data only goes to the TV on your local network.
The TV won’t connect.
Check that the PC and TV are on the same network, that the address entered on the TV exactly matches the one in the Device Connection card, and that Subvoce is allowed in Windows Firewall. Then press Rescan; if the status says “Error”, restart the server with Retry.
Why can’t I change the mode, area or model while translating?
They’re locked so the running session isn’t disrupted. Stop translation, make the change, then start again. Appearance settings like position, font size and colour, and the scan interval, can be changed while running.
Which languages does it translate?
Subvoce translates English subtitles into Turkish.
Video walkthrough
Watch every Subvoce feature step by step in a single video, from installation to your first translation.
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