
Subtitling · Norwegian
Norwegian subtitling services
Native Norwegian subtitlers for corporate video, eLearning, streaming content, broadcast and advertising. Bokmål and Nynorsk, delivered to platform specification. Part of a full Norwegian language service: subtitles, voice over scripts, and translation of any content you need.
About Norwegian subtitling
Bokmål or Nynorsk, decided before anything is written
Norwegian has two official written standards with equal legal status: Bokmål, which derives from written Danish and is used by the large majority, and Nynorsk, built from rural dialects in the nineteenth century and used by a minority concentrated in the west of the country.
For subtitling, this is a decision that has to be made at the brief stage. Commercial content generally uses Bokmål. Public sector material, content for western Norway, and anything with an institutional obligation may require Nynorsk, and some organisations are bound to a quota across their output.
At GoLocalise, we confirm which standard applies before work begins, and every file passes linguistic and technical QA before delivery.


Which do you need?
Open captions, closed captions or SDH
Three different deliverables that people often ask for by the wrong name. Here is the short version.
Open captions
Burnt inBurnt into the frame, so your Norwegian subtitles survive every re-upload and every muted autoplay.
- Always visible
- Styled the way your brand is styled — face, size, colour, position
- Delivered as a finished video file
Closed captions
SwitchableA separate file the viewer can turn on and off, and that can carry several languages at once. The standard for YouTube, Vimeo and the streaming platforms.
- Viewer controls them
- Multiple languages from one video
- Indexed by search engines
SDH
AccessibilitySubtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing: dialogue plus speaker IDs and the sound effects and music cues that carry meaning.
- Speaker identification
- Non-dialogue audio described
- Meets accessibility requirements
Subtitles or captions? The two terms are often used interchangeably. Strictly, subtitles translate the dialogue for viewers who can hear the audio, while captions are same-language and add speaker labels and sound cues for viewers who cannot. We produce either — translated Norwegian subtitles or same-language Norwegian captions and SDH — in whichever form your platform and audience require.
What we subtitle
Norwegian subtitling for every kind of content
Norwegian subtitling shows up across public-sector, corporate and streaming work, often alongside Bokmål/Nynorsk decisions. These are the formats we subtitle most, each with its own conventions.
Corporate & training video
Internal comms, onboarding and product training subtitled for global teams and LMS delivery.
eLearning & online courses
Timed, readable subtitles for course platforms, MOOCs and instructional video.
Documentary & factual
Festival, broadcast and streaming documentaries, including interview clean-up and on-screen text.
Advertising & social
Burnt-in captions for muted autoplay on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and paid social.
Streaming & OTT
Platform-spec subtitle and caption files for VOD, OTT and broadcast delivery.
Accessibility (SDH & closed captions)
Same-language SDH and closed captions to meet WCAG and accessibility requirements.
Events, webinars & conferences
Recorded talks, town halls and webinars captioned for on-demand viewing.
E-commerce & product video
Short product and explainer videos captioned to lift conversion and reach.
How can we help you?
Your project manager has everything covered
One point of contact from brief to delivery, and both a linguistic and a technical check on every file.
Brief review
We review your video, your audience, and confirm whether the file should be in Bokmål or Nynorsk.
Template and translation
Where needed we create an English subtitle template first, then send it to a native Norwegian subtitler working in the correct standard.
Timing and quality checks
Subtitles are timed against the video and checked for reading speed, line length, consistency with the written standard you asked for, and format compliance.
Delivery
Norwegian files that match your platform's spec, delivered on time and on budget.
Our standards
The specs we work to
Readable subtitles are a matter of measurable limits, not opinion. These are the defaults we apply to Norwegian unless your style guide says otherwise.
Maximum per line
37 for broadcast delivery
Maximum on screen
Bottom-weighted, centred
Reading speed
Lower for children's content
Minimum duration
Seven seconds maximum
The harder part in Norwegian is not length but source audio. Norway has no standard spoken form, and dialects appear freely in interviews, documentary and broadcast content, differing from the written standards in vocabulary and grammar rather than only in accent. The subtitler renders it into the agreed written standard.
Deliverables
Professional subtitle formats
We adapt your existing translations into subtitle format or create subtitles from scratch, in Norwegian, English or any other language. And if the project needs a timed script or a plain document instead, we deliver that too.
Standard text-based
Compatible with most platforms and players.
Broadcast & professional
For broadcasters, post houses and streaming delivery specs.
Burnt-in video
The Norwegian subtitles are part of the picture — nothing to switch on.
Need a different format? Convert SRT, VTT and more with our free subtitle converter →
| Where it's going | What we deliver |
|---|---|
| YouTube, Vimeo & LMS platforms | SRT or VTT closed captions |
| Netflix, Amazon & broadcast | IMSC, TTML or EBU-STL to platform spec |
| Instagram, TikTok & paid social | Burned-in captions in MP4 (open captions) |
| Premiere, Final Cut & DaVinci Resolve | SRT / VTT that import straight into your edit |
Not sure which you need? Tell us the destination platform and we deliver to its exact spec.
Norwegian specifics
Two written standards and no standard speech
There is no standard spoken Norwegian, and dialects are used freely in broadcast and everyday speech, including by public figures. Subtitlers regularly work from dialect audio that differs substantially from either written standard.
The two standards are not spelling variants of each other. They differ in inflection and vocabulary. A Nynorsk reader understands Bokmål perfectly well, so a single Bokmål file is comprehensible nationwide — but where Nynorsk is required for institutional or regulatory reasons, a Bokmål file does not satisfy it.
And Norwegian is not interchangeable with Danish or Swedish. The three are close enough in speech that clients sometimes assume one file will serve all three. They are separate written languages, with their own spelling, vocabulary and grammar, and each market needs its own version.
Since 2008
Subtitling & captioning
100+
Languages covered
ISO 9001 & 14001
Certified processes
24–48h
Typical turnaround
Subtitling rates
Professional Norwegian subtitling
For single videos and straightforward content where accurate, well-timed subtitles are what you need.
- Native Norwegian subtitler
- Bokmål or Nynorsk
- Frame-accurate timing
For longer content and recurring projects, including transcription, SDH, burned-in subtitles and multiple output formats.
- Everything in Standard
- Transcription and template
- SDH and burnt-in
- Multiple output formats
Every project is quoted individually and backed by our Price Match Promise. Send us your video for an exact, no-obligation quote.
Not sure what your Norwegian subtitles will cost?
Send us the video — or just its running time — and we come back with an itemised quote: running time, languages and output formats priced line by line, with nothing hidden. No obligation, and if you find a like-for-like price lower, we will match it.
- Free, itemised quote
- No obligation
- Price Match Promise
Trusted by global brands
Subtitling we've delivered
Have we done something like yours?
Return of the Goat II
Subtitling · European French — a different language from yours, shown because the process is the same
Related services
The rest of your Norwegian project
Norwegian voice over
Native Norwegian voice actors, recorded in broadcast-quality studios.
Learn moreNorwegian translation
Bokmål or nynorsk agreed before the first line is written.
Learn moreAll subtitling services
Our full subtitling and captioning offer across 100+ languages.
Learn moreNorwegian transcription
Norwegian has no single standard to transcribe against.
Learn moreSubtitling & captioning in more languages
Native subtitlers for corporate video, eLearning, streaming, documentary and advertising. Browse another language, or ask us about yours.
Subtitling we have delivered
Real projects, real deadlines, and the files that went live.

Subtitling · European French
Return of the Goat II
Elevating cycling narratives with multilingual subtitling.

Subtitling · Indonesian
Pathways: Hope After Suicide Loss
Bridging cultures through subtitling: a journey of hope.

Subtitling · English
‘Todos a la Cocina’ Cooking Show
Enhancing global reach through expert subtitling.
Most common questions
Do I need Bokmål or Nynorsk?
Bokmål for most commercial content, since it is the standard the large majority of Norwegians write and read. Nynorsk where you are addressing western Norway specifically, where a public sector body has an obligation to use it, or where an organisation applies a quota across its published material. If you are unsure, tell us who the content is for and we will advise.
Can one Norwegian file serve both?
No, they are distinct written standards rather than spelling variants, differing in inflection and vocabulary. A Nynorsk reader understands Bokmål perfectly well, so a single Bokmål file is comprehensible nationwide, but where Nynorsk is required for institutional or regulatory reasons a Bokmål file does not satisfy it.
How do you handle Norwegian dialect audio?
By assigning subtitlers who work with it routinely. Norway has no standard spoken form, and dialects appear freely in interviews, documentary, and broadcast content, differing from the written standards in vocabulary and grammar rather than only in accent. The subtitler renders it into the agreed written standard.
Can Norwegian subtitles be reused for Danish or Swedish?
No. The three are closely related and mutually intelligible to a degree in speech, which sometimes leads to the assumption that one file will serve, but they are separate written languages with distinct spelling, vocabulary, and grammar. Each market needs its own version.
How quickly can a Norwegian subtitling project be delivered?
Expect 24 to 48 hours on a short video. What changes it is the length of the finished cut, how many files you want delivered, and whether the Norwegian audio has to be transcribed first. Your project manager confirms the date before we start.
How much does Norwegian subtitling cost?
Norwegian subtitling is charged by the running minute of video, and what sets it is running time, whether we start from audio or from a script, whether SDH or a burned-in version is part of it, and how many files go out with it. Each job is quoted on its own, and the Price Match Promise stands behind it: send us the video and you get an exact figure, itemised.
Do you deliver SRT files, closed captions or burned-in subtitles — and SDH?
All of them. We supply switchable SRT and VTT closed captions for YouTube, Vimeo and streaming, broadcast formats such as STL and TTML, and open captions burnt in for feeds that play without sound. We also produce Norwegian SDH with speaker IDs and sound cues so your video meets WCAG and accessibility requirements.
Can you also translate the script and record a Norwegian voice over or dub?
Yes. Many Norwegian projects need more than a subtitle file, so we translate scripts and on-screen text, record native Norwegian voice over, and produce dubs — keeping terminology and register aligned across every version, in Bokmål or Nynorsk as your audience requires.
Do you also add same-language Norwegian captions, not just translated subtitles?
Yes, and it is a large part of what we do. Besides translating into Norwegian we caption Norwegian video in its own language, SDH included — the version accessibility teams ask for, and the one that makes a video searchable. If the audio is already Norwegian and all you want is accurate text on screen, say so and we quote that service.
I already have a Norwegian script. Can you work from that?
Absolutely. If you already have a transcript, script or a draft SRT/VTT, we can spot, time and quality-check from it rather than starting from scratch, which usually lowers the cost. If you don't, we transcribe the Norwegian audio first. Either way every file goes through the same linguistic and technical QA.
Will your files open in our editing software?
SRT, VTT, STL, TTML and the rest. Your Norwegian files import cleanly into Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Camtasia, as well as the major online editors and players — or we can burn them into a finished MP4/MOV so there is no separate file to handle.
Ready to subtitle your video in Norwegian?
Send us your video and we'll come back with an exact, itemised quote.
The complete solution to localise your content
Voice over
- State-of-the-art studios
- Neumann microphones
- On-hand sound engineers
- 1,000+ voice actors
Translation
- 100+ languages covered
- Tailored to your needs
- Stringent quality control
- Dedicated project managers
Subtitling
- Experienced subtitlers
- Industry-standard software
- Burn-in and graphic editing
- Open and closed captions
Transcription
- Improve accessibility
- Reach a wider audience
- Boost SEO and video views
- Maximise video engagement



