How subtitle translation works
- Transcribe: the speech becomes text with a start and end time for each word or line.
- Translate: the text is translated, line by line, keeping each line's timing.
- Check and style: read the translation against the video, fix names and terms, then burn it in or export a subtitle file.
The translated lines take the original lines' timing, so a sentence that's much longer in the new language may need fewer words on screen at once to stay readable.
Translate captions with CAPWAV
CAPWAV transcribes 90+ spoken languages. On the Creator and Pro plans it can also translate the captions into one of 75 languages as they're made:
- Start a new video from the auto caption generator and drop in your clip.
- Choose the language you speak in the video, tick Translate, and pick the language the captions should be in.
- CAPWAV transcribes the speech, translates the captions and times them to the video. Edit any word in the editor.
- Export the MP4 with the translated captions burned in, or download them as SRT, VTT or TXT.
Want the same video in several languages? Make one project per language. Each export has one set of captions burned in.
What to check after translating
- Names, brands and product terms: these are often translated when they shouldn't be.
- Numbers, prices and units: check they match what's said.
- Line length: languages like German or Spanish run longer than English; make the captions a little smaller if lines crowd the frame.
- Right-to-left scripts such as Arabic and Hebrew: CAPWAV lays them out right to left; read one line to be sure it's in the right order.
- Tone: slang and jokes rarely translate word for word. Rewrite a line if it reads stiffly.
Which languages to translate into
Start with where your viewers already are. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube all show which countries your audience comes from; the second-largest country on that list is usually the best first translation.
Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Indonesian and Arabic each reach very large audiences on short-video apps. If you post the same video in several languages, keep the style the same across them, so viewers recognise your content whichever version they see.
Subtitles in a language you don't speak
If you can't read the target language, ask a native speaker to watch the export once before you post. A quick check catches the few lines a machine translation gets wrong.
Translating someone else's subtitle file instead? Make sure the timings fit your video first: the free subtitle timing fixer can shift every line at once.