While it might be possible to adjust things for new dramas, it’s nearly impossible in case of old ones. If such a rule is enforced, it’ll become impossible to translate or edit old dramas, as they would eventually require a different segmenting style. 
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@brendas @vikicommunity I truly hope sb from Viki staff will clarify what is happening… it makes no sense, how was it decided to allow only 100 characters… does the person or team who decided on this have an idea what is used inside the editor when writing subtitles, that formatting takes also space away as @dimghro said above.
German language has very long words, how are we supposed to cut the grammar and meaning including breaks and italics? If this is just a BETA testing please then let us know so we can send feedback, thanks.
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Is this from today? I just noticed it too while subbing a K-Drama I’m working on. Suddenly my subtitle was too long and it wasn’t even a particularly long sentence. Does anyone know if it affects our old translations on previous episodes from the same drama or previous dramas we’ve worked on before? Because I’m sure I have had longer subs on some segments with the old limit. I sure hope it’s not cutting those down into half sentences or something indecipherable like that.
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You are amazing! Thank you for sharing this with us.
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As @dimghro mentioned, you can ignore it currently, as it’s just a warning. But it may apply randomly to all sorts of dramas or episodes, or even single parts. So it’s not about the age of a drama or anything. It changes back and forth as well.
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I smell that it’s like a “test drive” of something they want to implement in the near future.
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That might be the case, but it would be a huge issue for old and recent dramas. 
Furthermore, I do think that quite a couple of Viki’s customers come to Viki because of the detailed subtitles (at least I often read about it on websites etc.). Especially variety shows would lose a lot of details and if it can’t be bypassed by any means in the future, Viki’s quality will suffer as well. 
Moreover, I think that the vast majority of recent translations already meet the requirements. There are just some exceptions.
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Ma come? Io non ho nessun problema a restare nei 100 caratteri… L’italiano si presta molto alla sintetizzazione… Elimina i corsivi così non sprechi caratteri, elimina le note che non servono a niente… e vedrai che ci stai… L’importante è che il sub sia comprensibile e leggibile. Lo sai fare… L’hai già fatto…
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That’s good to know. Thank you! 
I hadn’t noticed the previous comment, but now that I’ve read it, it makes more sense. But I wonder why they’re suddenly doing this. Even if they were to impose this new rule, like you said, it would be very difficult to edit old dramas. It would cause such chaos if the system were to impose it automatically. It definitely requires a different flow of work from the very start.
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What I find most disconcerting right now is the lack of communication on Vikis part…
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Sadly, that’s not a new thing…
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Viki doesn’t owe us volunteers anything. We are here willingly, and if they change, they change. We either go with the flow or leave. That’s up to us. We can be upset, but at the end of the day, Viki is a for-profit company. We volunteerly work for them for free.
Yes, it would be nice if they informed us, but who are we to them and vice versa?
Let’s enjoy this hobby as long as we can. If you don’t enjoy it, take a break, and if still available, come back to a hobby you enjoy.
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“Who are we to them and vice versa?” An excellent question, even though the tone seemed a bit off. As I see it, we are those who work for them so that customers pay Viki because they are able to watch it’s content in a language they understand. Which is why one might hope that Viki should be willing and able to communicate with us if they decide to change important rules for our, as you correctly stated, free work.
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Viki has made efforts to communicate more with us—last year, they gave volunteers several updates and perks. Still, there were ongoing concerns and discussions.
At this point, I understand why Viki might focus on decisions that serve the company’s goals as a competitive streaming platform. Those choices may not always align with what volunteers want.
If this hobby no longer brings joy, it’s okay to take a step back and reassess. I’m not thrilled with all the changes either, but continuing is ultimately a personal choice.
With the recent French and Spanish presubs on top of PT, it’s clear Viki is moving toward broader multilingual subtitle support—similar to other platforms. More languages may follow.
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Original: In basic terms we might just have a foot out the door. So it’s either get on the train and adapt to the changes or get ready to get off the train.
Expanded (I got home and had time to think of a response):
I completely understand the frustration. It does feel contradictory when Viki promotes slogans like “powered by volunteers” and celebrates us with quizzes, contribution points, and a small yearly gift, yet rolls out major changes without ever consulting the very community they say they value. That disconnect is real, and it can feel like they are trying to keep up appearances while ignoring the deeper concerns that affect our ability to contribute meaningfully.
But at the same time, I think it is important to step back and look at the reality. Viki is a company. Their priority will always be what ensures growth and revenue. As much as we would like it to be different, they are not obligated to cater to us or design their systems around what is most convenient for the volunteer community. We are not bound by any contract, and the truth is, we are here because we want to be. And just as we are free to contribute, we are also free to walk away if this space no longer brings us joy or aligns with what we’re willing to give.
That said, I will be honest—my own community has been deeply affected by these changes. I have seen volunteers become disillusioned and discouraged. There was already a lot of uncertainty after the five-project limit was introduced, which aimed to prevent hoarding and promote fairness. But now, with the arrival of presubs, that limit seems to have quietly vanished. Suddenly, we are back to people juggling twelve or more active projects, while others are left struggling to find opportunities to contribute. The imbalance has returned, and the structure we were just starting to adjust to has been completely disrupted again. And now, on top of everything else, we have a character limit. It might seem small, but it adds a whole new layer of challenge, especially for language teams trying to preserve meaning, nuance, and cultural context. Every new update seems to come with more constraints, not more support. It feels like decisions are made without fully understanding how they impact the volunteer workflow or quality of subs.
So yes, I am upset too. I am frustrated that these changes come without warning, without consultation, and without a real understanding of how they affect the day-to-day realities of volunteering. We are expected to adapt overnight to decisions that took place behind closed doors, and we are rarely given the chance to offer input or solutions that might actually work better for everyone.
In the end, I still believe this is a personal decision. If this hobby no longer brings someone happiness, there is no shame in stepping back. But for those of us who want to continue, we have to acknowledge that Viki is changing. If we want to stay, it will mean adapting once again—because otherwise, the only future we have here might be one where we no longer belong.
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It’s the hypocrisy. The fact that on one hand they say “powered by volunteers” and “our amazing volunteer community” they prepare events and surprises for us, which are badges, quizzes, contribution points and a 25-dollar annual gift - all fluff without substance - and on the other hand they don’t bother to announce such an important change.
Of course they knew we wouldn’t like it, that’s why it was snuck quietly under the door.
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I agree with you. We all know that we are volunteers. And we are thankfull to have QC benefits thanks to our work. At the beginning we all knew we wouldn’t have more. And it was sufficient because our freedom was different. This freedom is evoluting and we are not happy of this. Sorry but it’s human nature. I agree with the fact that the slogan of viki must be changed because “powered by volunteers” is a little lie nowadays. We are editing the little quantity they let to us work on. It’s sad but it’s a fact. Restrictions are coming again and again so it’s difficult for us to accept everything even if we know that we are just writing words here. Our communities are doing their best to change with viki but this platform gives us just a little way to follow.
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By now, it’s more like, “with volunteers on the side.”
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Viki has not officially commented here, but the first CMs have been instructed that there is a character limit of 100 in all languages that should be followed.
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They changed their slogan to “The Heart of Asian Entertainment” quite a while ago. As far as I can tell, there is no mention of volunteers/contributors on the site anywhere other than the designated contributor pages that can be reached through the “community” tab and the “subtitle team” pages.
I know this latest change has a large impact on how contributors are able to work, and it’s a shame that it has been done without any official community-wide notice, but I am most concerned about it from a viewer’s perspective. I don’t understand why Viki seems determined to rid itself of the qualities that make it stand out from its competitors, one of which is the more detailed subs and inclusion of translator notes, etc., which will become scarce or inadequate with the new limits.
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