Translate YouTube Videos While You Watch
YouTube can already translate a video's captions, and some videos come with dubbed audio tracks. When you'd rather listen, AutoDub reads the translated captions aloud in your language and shows bilingual subtitles in the YouTube player.
Free, no account required. AutoDub works on videos with captions in desktop Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox.
Which YouTube translator do you need?
| What you want | Try this | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Read translated subtitles | YouTube captions | Captions, plus either a translation in your language or the Auto-translate option. |
| Listen to an existing translation | YouTube audio tracks | The video must offer an audio track in your language. |
| Hear AI dubbing while watching | AutoDub extension | A video with captions, viewed in desktop Chrome, Edge, Brave, or Firefox. |
If you're translating a video for your own channel, see how file-export tools compare or our YouTube dubbing guide.
Translate YouTube subtitles without an extension
If reading the translation is enough, try YouTube's built-in captions first. On the desktop website:
- Open the video and click the Settings gear.
- Open Subtitles/CC and choose your language.
- If it isn't listed, look for Auto-translate and pick a language there.
In the YouTube app on iPhone or Android, the same option usually sits under the gear icon → Captions → Auto-translate. The menu differs a little between app versions.
This changes the subtitle text only. The voice stays in the original language. Following subtitles can get tiring during a long lecture, especially if you also need to watch code or a demo. We compare dubbing and subtitles in more detail on the dubbing extension page.
Which options you see depends on the video and device. If there's no caption track, skip to the missing-captions advice.
YouTube's help page covers caption and language settings in full.
Listen to a translated YouTube audio track
Some videos already offer another language as an audio track. If yours does, you can listen without installing anything:
- Open the video's Settings menu.
- Click Audio track, then choose your language.
If that menu or your language is missing, the video doesn't have that track, and changing YouTube's interface language won't create one. If the video has captions, you can still use AutoDub to hear a spoken translation.
For more detail, read how YouTube's automatic dubbing works or YouTube's audio-language instructions.
How to translate a YouTube video with AutoDub
AutoDub reads the translated captions aloud in an AI voice while you watch on YouTube. There's no video to upload or download.
Install the extension and refresh YouTube
Add AutoDub to Chrome, Edge, or Brave from the Chrome Web Store, or install the Firefox version. If the video was already open, reload the page so the player can show the AutoDub button.
Open a video with captions
Look for CC or a subtitle track under YouTube’s Settings → Subtitles/CC. Creator-provided and auto-generated captions both work. AutoDub needs this text to translate the video.
Click AutoDub in the player controls
Move your pointer over the video to reveal its controls. The AutoDub icon is on the right side of the control bar. Click the icon to open AutoDub’s settings and start translating.
Choose your language and play the video
Set Dubbing language to the language you want to hear, then choose a Voice. If playback is paused, press play. The first translation and audio take a moment to load, and AutoDub prepares the next part while you watch. Click the AutoDub icon again any time to reopen the settings.
Set the sound and subtitles to suit you
- For subtitles without dubbing, set Dubbing → Off, subtitles only. The original audio stays as it is.
- Under Translated subtitles, choose Show above YouTube captions to see both languages, or Show instead of YouTube captions to see only the translation.
- If the two voices clash, set Original audio to Lowered while dubbing or Muted, and adjust Dubbing volume.
- To start dubbing without clicking each time, open More settings and set Auto-dubbing → Start automatically on foreign-language videos.
Example of a bilingual subtitle
We are going to start with a simple example.
Nous allons commencer par un exemple simple.
With both languages on screen, you can check the translation against the original as you watch.
If the Chrome Web Store is blocked for you, follow the manual installation guide. For more controls, see the AutoDub user guide.
Translate a YouTube video to English, Hindi, or 40 other languages
If you want English, check first whether the video already has English captions or an English audio track. Otherwise, choose English, Hindi, or any other supported language under Dubbing language in AutoDub. In subtitles-only mode that setting is called Translation language.
You don't need to change YouTube's language setting. Supported languages:
- Arabic
- Bengali
- Cantonese
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English
- Filipino
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Greek
- Gujarati
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Kannada
- Korean
- Malay
- Malayalam
- Marathi
- Norwegian
- Persian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Slovak
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Vietnamese
Do you actually need a translated video file?
Some online translators let you paste a YouTube link and download a translated video. Use one if you need a copy to edit or publish. For videos without captions, check that it can also transcribe the audio. If you only want to watch the video, you probably don't need a downloadable copy.
| YouTube's auto-translate captions | AutoDub | File-export tools | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | Translated text to read | A voice in your language, plus bilingual subtitles | A translated video file to publish |
| Where it works | In the YouTube player | In the YouTube player | A separate website |
| On your phone | Yes | No, desktop only | Depends on the tool |
| Videos without captions | No | No | Yes, if the tool transcribes audio |
| Waiting | None | A short load when you start | Processing time before you can download |
| Price | Free | Free, no daily limit | Depends on the tool |
If it's your own channel, look at YouTube Studio first. You can add translated subtitles there and check whether automatic dubbing is available for your channel.
If the translation doesn't work
There’s no CC button or subtitle track
Subtitles that are part of the picture don’t count as a caption track. AutoDub can’t read them, and it can’t transcribe the audio. Look for another captioned version, ask the creator to add captions, or use a tool that transcribes the audio first.
YouTube’s Auto-translate option is missing
Turn captions on first, since Auto-translate only appears once a caption track is selected. If it’s still missing, try the desktop YouTube website, or check for an audio track in your language. If the video has no captions at all, AutoDub won’t work either.
The AutoDub button is missing
Reload the video page after installing. Make sure the extension is enabled and allowed to run on youtube.com, and open the video on YouTube itself. AutoDub works on the desktop website, not in the YouTube mobile app.
The translation is loading, but I can’t hear anything
Let the ad finish, then press play if the video is paused. In AutoDub’s settings, make sure Dubbing is On and turn up Dubbing volume. Check that the browser tab isn’t muted. If loading fails, click the AutoDub icon to retry.
A name or sentence is translated wrong
Check the original captions first. Automatic captions get names wrong and struggle with accents and background noise, and the translation inherits those mistakes. Keep the original captions on screen next to the translation. If the creator uploaded their own subtitle track, switch to it. Machine translation still slips up sometimes, even from clean text.
If a captioned video still fails, report the problem with the video URL, browser, target language, and any error message. That's what we need to reproduce it.
Common questions about translating YouTube videos
Can I translate a YouTube video for free?
Yes. YouTube’s captions and audio tracks cost nothing. AutoDub is free too, doesn’t need an account, and has no daily video limit.
Can I translate a YouTube video without subtitles?
Not with AutoDub or YouTube’s auto-translate. Both need a caption track, and auto-generated captions count. If the video has none, you need a tool that transcribes the audio first. Subtitles burned into the picture don’t count as a caption track.
Is there a YouTube translator for the audio, not just the subtitles?
Yes. Check the video’s Audio track menu for your language first. If it isn’t there, AutoDub can read the translated captions aloud in an AI voice while you watch. YouTube’s auto-translate changes captions, not audio.
Can I get subtitles without changing the original audio?
Yes. In AutoDub, set Dubbing to Off, subtitles only. Then choose a language under Translation language and a display option under Translated subtitles.
Does AutoDub work on iPhone or Android?
No. AutoDub runs in desktop Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox, not inside the YouTube app. On a phone, use YouTube’s own caption translation and audio tracks. What’s available varies by video and device.
Can I paste a YouTube link here or download a translated video?
No. AutoDub translates while you watch in the YouTube player. It doesn’t take pasted links or export video files. If you need a file to edit or publish, use a tool that exports translated video.
Do I need to download any software?
Only the browser extension. It works in your browser, so you don’t need a separate desktop app or a downloaded copy of the video.
Can AutoDub translate videos that aren’t on YouTube?
No, only on youtube.com. For other videos, look for a translator that supports your file or the site you’re watching on.
Does AutoDub support live streams?
Not yet. AutoDub works with regular, prerecorded YouTube videos that have captions.
Is the translation processed entirely on my device?
No. AutoDub sends the video’s captions to our servers to translate them and generate speech, so it needs an internet connection. You never upload the video itself. See our privacy policy for details.