# Sub Levels

Sub levels is how nekoBT attempts to categorize the quality of a release's subtitles. The higher the sub level, the more extensive the work put into the subtitles.

The keywords "SHOULD" and "MUST" below are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.

"MUST" means it's a hard requirement.
"SHOULD" means it's not a requirement, but there are very few valid reasons not to have it.
- Example: A valid reason for not having TS would be that there are no signs in the episode.

The sub levels are as follows:

Level 0 (L0): Official
- These are official subtitles taken from a source.
  - Examples: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Blu-ray, etc.
- The following modifications are considered minor, and still count as L0:
  - Changing the font style/size/color.
  - Shifting subtitle timing (this also includes removal of commercial breaks, etc).
Level 1 (L1): Slight Modifications
- Any modified subtitles that goes further than the modifications stated above.
Level 2 (L2): Small-scale Fansubs
- SHOULD have at least two of the following: ED, TS, and Song Translation
- or MUST be an original translation (OTL).
Level 3 (L3): Full-scale Fansubs
- SHOULD have all of the following: ED, TS, Song Translation, fixed timing issues.
- MUST have QC.
Level 4 (L4): Full-scale Batch
- For content with multiple episodes (e.g., TV series):
  - MUST meet L3 requirements for all episodes.
  - MUST contain all episodes in a season.
- For movies or single-episode content:
  - MUST meet L3 requirements.
  - MUST be an improvement over other L3 releases of the same content.
- SHOULD contain batch fixes, such as typos, missing typesetting, etc.

Edge case:

If an episode can't have a certain job done, then you can count it as being done.
Example 1: If an episode has no songs, then you can count Song Styling as being done.
Example 2: If an episode has no signs, then you can count TS as being done.
However, just because an episode has no songs or signs, doesn't automatically make it L2.
If you have done other jobs (TLC, QC, etc), then you can make it L2.

Here's a flow chart to help you categorize your release's sub level:

---
config:
    themeVariables:
        fontSize: '24px'
        backgroundColor: 'transparent'
---
graph LR
    A{Are the subtitles untouched or only had a main style change from their official source?} -->|Yes| B[Level 0]
    A -->|No| C{Have you done at least 2 of the following:<br>ED, TS, Song Translation? Or is it an OTL?}
    C -->|Yes| E{Did you do ED, TS, Song Translation,<br>fix timing issues, and done a QC pass?}
    C -->|No to both| D[Level 1]
    E -->|Yes| G{Is this a release for TV or a movie?}
    E -->|No| F[Level 2]
    G -->|TV| I{Do all episodes have the same quality, and it contains all episodes in a season?}
    I -->|Yes| K[Level 4]
    I -->|No| J[Level 3]
    G -->|Movie| H{Does this release improve upon other L3 releases of the same content?}
    H -->|Yes| L[Level 4]
    H -->|No| M[Level 3]

# Appendix

ED: Editing — making changes to the script to make it read well.
TS: Typesetting — turning foreign signs (text on screen) into your language.
QC: Quality Control — checking everyone's work for errors, typos, etc.
TLC: Translation Check — checking the translation for accuracy.
Song Translation: Adding translated lyrics for the songs (possibly with or without karaoke effects).
OTL: Original Translation — translation made from scratch for the project (rather than editing an existing one).

# Dealing with multiple fansubs in one release

If a release contains multiple fansubs, you should take the highest sub level for each language, and use the lowest sub level among them.

For example:

This should be L4 (both same):
- English: L4
- Spanish: L4
This should be L3 (lower level takes precedence):
- English: L4
- French: L3
This should be L2 (Group A takes precedence over Group B):
- English (Group A): L2
- English (Group B): L1
- German: L2