Subtitle Lab

What Subtitle Lab does

Subtitle Lab (operating brand: SubLab) is a privately held, founder-owned audiovisual translation services firm headquartered in Lima, Peru, with a stated twenty-year operating history in the global AVT market. The company delivers professional subtitling, closed captioning, SDH (Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing), dubbing, video game localization, technical-scientific audiovisual translation, audio description, and AI-assisted dubbing supervision, primarily in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French for North American, British, Latin American, Spanish, French, and Brazilian markets. Service delivery relies on certified native teams operating professional subtitling platforms including Subtitle Edit, with methodology endorsed by Dr. Frederic Chaume, an academic authority on audiovisual translation who also advises OTT platforms and AI companies.

The core product surface is professional-services rather than software-as-a-service: clients engage via the company's bilingual website (English and Spanish) and direct sales, receiving frame-accurate synchronization, cultural adaptation of idioms and humor, compliance-driven accessibility deliverables, and specialist linguistic testing integrated with gaming engines. A secondary training vertical (AVT+AI Courses, SDH Course, AI Dubbing Course) sells professional certification and masterclasses to AVT practitioners navigating AI-driven workflow change. The technical stack is workflow- and tooling-led rather than platform- or model-led, with AI positioned as a supervised layer on synthetic voice pipelines rather than as an internally developed capability.

The business model is sales-led B2B professional services with two revenue streams (AVT service delivery and training), serving clients across entertainment/media, gaming, and technical-scientific corporate verticals of varying sizes. The company is bootstrapped under founder and CEO Marcel Paiva, with no disclosed external funding, no public financial reporting, and a lean core leadership team supplemented by freelance linguists. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and revenue is not reported; geographic reach is global in claim but anchored in the Latin American and North American markets.

Name

Subtitle Lab

Legal name

Subtitle Lab

Website

https://subtitlelab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Subtitle Lab is a Peru-based, founder-owned audiovisual translation firm offering subtitling, dubbing, SDH, video game localization, AI-assisted dubbing supervision, and AVT training courses in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French for entertainment, gaming, and corporate clients worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audiovisual Translation Services

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (54193)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Dubbing & Voiceover Production (Casting, Recording, Lip-Sync) (MPAHAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Subtitling & Captioning Services (Timed Text, SDH/CC) (MPAHAFAA), Voice Cloning, Dubbing & Audio Generative Media (HDAAAFAK), Localization Technology & Automation (TMS, Subtitle Tools, MT/AI, Speech-to-Text) (MPAHAFAH)

Keywords

• Audiovisual translation services
• Subtitling and captioning
• Video game localization
• Professional dubbing services
• AI-assisted dubbing supervision

Headquarters

HQ city

Surquillo

HQ country

Peru

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Audiovisual Translation Services: Core service revenue from subtitling, closed captioning, SDH, dubbing, video game localization, and technical/scientific audiovisual translation delivered to global clients
2. Training Courses: Revenue from professional training courses including AVT+AI courses, SDH courses, and AI dubbing courses providing certification for industry professionals

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Subtitle Lab provides professional audiovisual translation services to global clients, including subtitling, closed captioning, SDH, video game localization, professional dubbing, AI-assisted dubbing supervision, technical and scientific audiovisual translation, audio description, and languages and cultural localization. The company also delivers specialized training courses (AVT+AI, SDH, AI Dubbing) that provide industry certification, leveraging multicultural certified native teams and methodologies endorsed by academic authority Dr. Frederic Chaume.

Product overview

Subtitle Lab is an audiovisual translation services company offering a unified portfolio of specialized services. The core offerings include Subtitling, Closed Captioning, SDH (Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing), Video Game Localization, AI-Assisted Dubbing Supervision, Professional Dubbing, Technical and Scientific Audiovisual Translation, Languages and Cultural Localization, and Audio Description. The company also offers training courses including AVT+AI Courses, SDH Course, and AI Dubbing Course. All services are delivered with certified native teams, frame-accurate synchronization, and cultural adaptations. The company operates as a single integrated service offering rather than separate modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audiovisual Translation (AVT) Professional audiovisual translation services delivered by certified teams in languages and applied linguistics, with proven experience in professional projects, accurate cultural adaptations on professional subtitling platforms, and thorough quality control at every stage.
• Subtitling Translation and adaptation of dialogs for global markets, with frame-accurate synchronization and professional segmentation respecting reading speeds, cultural adaptations of references, humor, and specific idioms, delivered in multiple formats according to distribution platforms.
• Closed Captioning (CC) Activatable subtitles service ensuring compliance with international accessibility regulations, providing clear identification of speakers in scenes with multiple characters, description of sound effects and relevant auditory elements, and precise technical frame-accurate synchronization formatting.
• SDH (Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) Complete translation of auditory experiences into visual formats, including identification of characters via colors, labels, or positioning, description of sound effects, background music, and emotional tones, with thorough cultural sensitivity quality control.
• Video Game Localization Comprehensive localization of video games including complete cultural adaptations for global markets, translation of interfaces, menus, dialogs, narratives, and achievements, with contextual linguistic testing, gaming engine experience, and direct coordination with developers for seamless integration.
• AI-Assisted Dubbing Supervision Expert supervision of AI-assisted dubbing projects including control of lip sync, natural performances, dubbing labels, and character assignment, technical reviews of transcription with time codes, suprasegmental features, KNPs, acronyms, and cultural references, creative adaptations using phonesthetics and linguistic variations, and optimization of synthetic voices across prosodic features, vocal rendering, and expressiveness; methodology endorsed by Frederic Chaume, a world authority on audiovisual translation.
• Professional Dubbing Dubbing service for commercial or corporate videos, films, series, and documentaries in Neutral Latin American Spanish (LAS), Brazilian Portuguese (BPO), and American English (ENG), with adaptations including lip-syncing, professional artistic direction, state-of-the-art studios, and certified native teams.
• Technical and Scientific Audiovisual Translation Comprehensive localization of technical and scientific corporate videos including translation of on-screen texts, graphics, diagrams, infographics, and animations, with specialized terminology across medical, engineering, technological, pharmaceutical, and industrial sectors, adapted to Latin American Spanish (LATAM), Brazilian Portuguese (BPO), French (FR), and American and British English (ENG), with quality control by specialized linguists and technical experts.
• Languages and Cultural Localization Translation and localization services in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese with certified native teams for each target market, comprehensive cultural adaptations of idioms, regionalisms, and specific references, and coverage across North American, British, Latin American, Spanish, French, and Brazilian markets.
• Audio Description Description of visual elements for people with visual impairments, narrating actions, settings, facial expressions, and body language, strategically inserted during pauses without interfering with the original dialogs, with professional voice-over adapted to the genre and compliance with international standards.
• AVT+AI Courses Engaging and immersive virtual training courses designed for digital transformation in the audiovisual translation industry while emphasizing human oversight when using AI, covering theoretical and practical modules on AI tools and quality control, masterclasses with internationally renowned AVT experts, and real-life industry case studies.
• SDH Course Specialized training in subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH), with practical modules on SDH tools and quality control, masterclasses and practical sessions on real-world industry case studies with internationally renowned AVT experts, and specialized courses on how to use Subtitle Edit.
• AI Dubbing Course Specialized training in artificial intelligence-assisted dubbing (AI dubbing), including practical courses on AI tools and quality control, training in human-AI hybrid workflows, and professional certification with real-world industry case studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Frame-accurate synchronization and professional segmentation respecting reading speeds
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dr. Frederic ChaumecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic consultant and world authority on audiovisual translation. Professor of Audiovisual Translation at Universitat Jaume I and Honorary Professor at University College London, Universidad Ricardo Palma, and Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas. Provides methodology endorsement for AI-assisted dubbing supervision and serves as advisor to OTT platforms and AI companies in dubbing. Published over 100 research articles and supervised 25 doctoral theses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Verbit: AI-powered captioning and transcription platform serving media, legal, and education markets. Comparable across accessibility (SDH, CC, audio description) and AI-augmented transcription/translation workflows.
• TransPerfect: Global enterprise LSP with a dedicated media and entertainment practice offering subtitling, dubbing, and AVT. Overlaps in service line but competes from a vastly larger sales and operational footprint.
• Lionbridge: Global language services provider offering translation, localization, and media services including subtitling and dubbing. Comparable in service menu but operates as a broad incumbent rather than an AVT specialist.
• Deluxe Media (Deluxe): Large, established post-production and content distribution vendor offering dubbing, localization, and broadcast services as part of a broader portfolio. Comparable capability in dubbing but with materially greater scale and infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Flawless: AI dubbing and film-visual localization startup using generative AI for multilingual film and video. Overlaps with Subtitle Lab's Professional Dubbing and AI-Assisted Dubbing Supervision services but competes with a fully automated offering.
• ElevenLabs: Leading voice-AI platform offering voice cloning, dubbing, and speech synthesis APIs. Comparable on the AI dubbing capability layer that Subtitle Lab supervises, with a platform model that could disintermediate boutique supervisory services.
• Deepdub: AI-native dubbing startup offering end-to-end localized voice generation. Comparable as a competitive threat targeting the same AI-assisted dubbing workflow that Subtitle Lab supervises, with a pure-AI rather than human-supervised model.

Direct peers

• ZOO Digital Group: UK-listed (AIM) end-to-end audiovisual localization provider offering subtitling, dubbing, and captioning services globally. Closest publicly comparable peer — both firms monetize AVT services at boutique-to-mid scale with deep technical specialization.
• Keywords Studios: Publicly traded Dublin-based provider of localization (including gaming localization), dubbing, and AVT services to games, film, and TV clients. Comparable because both compete for video game localization and multilingual AVT mandates.
• Iyuno: One of the world's largest dubbing and media localization companies, formed from the merger of Iyuno and SDI Media. Direct competitor across dubbing, subtitling, and accessibility services across the same global language pairs Subtitle Lab serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/subtitlelab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Subtitle Lab