Any type of content must transcend language and cultural barriers, and that’s where the video translation process comes in. By translating films and social media videos into a local language, you gain access to new audiences and can share your art with more of the world.

There are two principal ways to translate your original video to a new language so your work can be enjoyed by people from different countries and cultural backgrounds: adding subtitles in the target language or dubbing the audio. 

But you don’t have to study a new language to translate videos using either technique. Artificial intelligence is changing the way we make content—so much so, that 53% of the creators we surveyed think that generative AI helps them make better content. This guide shares how to translate a video using AI so you can expand your reach and get more mileage from your video content. 

What is video translation? 

Video translation is the process of converting the content of a video from one language to another. This involves translating dialogue, on-screen text, and sometimes even cultural references to make sure that the content isn’t restricted by language barriers and is understandable to a new audience. 

Video translation vs. video localization

When you think about video translation, your mind probably goes to subtitles and awkwardly dubbed audio. For filmmakers, however, the first part of video translation is a nuanced process called localization which may end in either subtitles or voiceover.

In localization, your existing video script isn’t just translated into another language word-for-word—it’s carefully interpreted to make culturally appropriate changes to the dialogue and to fit the idioms of your desired language. 

For instance, an idiomatic figure of speech in one language may translate to nonsense in another language—or they may be taken too literally. 

For example, there’s a joke in Pulp Fiction where a tomato tells his dawdling son to “ketchup!” That wouldn’t work in another language, so the French translation turns them into lemons and the punchline into “Presse-toi!,” which means both “hurry up” and “squeeze,” as in the French word for lemonade, “citron pressé.”

After those cultural nuances are addressed in the transcript, it can be turned into subtitles or a script for dubbing the video.

Benefits of video translation

Video translation might add an extra step into your video production workflow, but it offers the following advantages:

• Make videos more accessible. Translation makes your video content accessible to non-native speakers and those with hearing impairments through subtitles. This isn’t just nice to have—all online content must be accessible by law.
• Reach a wider audience. Viewers are more likely to engage with and share content that is available in their native language. As a content creator, this could help you earn more money through brand sponsorships and affiliate marketing campaigns since your audience is larger.
• Improved SEO. Multilingual videos can improve search engine optimization (SEO) by allowing content to appear in search results for different languages. In the case of a YouTube channel, you could accrue Spanish subscribers by re-uploading another version of the same video with Spanish subtitles and video descriptions.

How to translate videos online with AI: 4 easy steps

Step 1. Create a transcript 

The first step in translating video content is transcribing the existing audio. You can do this manually by carefully listening to the audio track while typing, or you can use an automatic transcription tool like Descript.

Descript has over 95% accuracy for its automated transcription tool inside the free video editing software. It can also remove filler words from your audio file, like “ums” and “uhs”, so that they’re not included in your transcription. These phrases don’t tend to translate well across different video languages. 

First, upload your video file into a new Descript project. The software will automatically generate a transcript for you. If there is more than one speaker, click Speaker and give each person a name. Descript’s AI can even add timestamps to the transcribed text, making it easier to match the transcription with specific parts of the video later on. 

If you've located a portion of the auto-generated transcript that you’d like to correct, highlight the text and then press the Correct button in the popover dialog. Make your corrections in the text box then press Correct or the Enter key to apply the changes. Descript will pause when you correct a word during playback and then automatically resume from the point of correction once you're done.

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Step 2. Use an AI video translator

Once your audio is transcribed, you’ll need to translate it from the original language into your desired one. The simplest and cheapest way to do this is with an automatic translation service like Google Translate, though it’s not always entirely accurate.

For a clearer and more culturally nuanced final product, you may need to enlist professional video translation services, where your transcript will be analyzed and translated by a native speaker. Professional translators can also help with localization, the process where your script is adjusted to clear up odd idioms and adopt local vernacular. This can increase your costs, however.

The best option is an AI video translator. This auto-translate feature is available inside Descript and allows you to instantly turn your automatic transcript into over 20 different languages, including:

• English (US)
• Spanish 
• German
• French
• Italian
• Polish
• Norwegian
• Swedish 

Step 3. Generate subtitles 

The simplest way to handle the translation process is to place translated subtitles on an otherwise unchanged video. It allows global audiences to hear the voices of the original actors—with their emotional inflections and cadence—rather than those of voice actors. 

Underlord, the AI video assistant available in any Descript plan, can help you do this. Find the Captions tab and turn your translated transcript into automatic subtitles. Use the right-hand sidebar to change the subtitles:

• Font
• Color
• Background
• Size 
• Placement 

Step 4. Use an AI voice to capture translated audio 

Dubbing involves hiring voice actors to record new audio in the target language, which then replaces the film’s original audio. The dubbing process happens after the original film production is wrapped, often by a voice actor who speaks the native language in the country where the language is spoken. 

The problem with dubbing is that it’s typically expensive and time-consuming. You’d need to find and pay a voice actor, then record the new audio and sync it with your original footage.

Thanks to advances in digital technology, you can opt for the AI Voices feature, where a computer will read your translated text using audio samples from AI-generated voices. It can also clone your own voice and produce high-quality translated audio in it—without actually recording any audio yourself.

Underlord in Descript: your secret video translation tool

Ready to get your video translated into any language you wish so that the world can enjoy your masterpiece? You need Descript.

Descript’s AI-powered video editor is the gold standard when it comes to transcription and video translation. Whether it’s a social media clip, a YouTube video, a documentary, or a full-length feature film, Descript allows anyone to:

• Get an accurate translation to convert your auto-generated transcript into 20+ languages
• Use AI Voices to overdub the new video script into your desired language 
• Create an automatic video description generator and social captions for video promotion
• Repurpose long footage into short-form video clips, ideal for social media 
• Easy exporting to video hosting sites like YouTube

Descript also comes with an extensive library of tutorials and help guides so anyone can use AI to translate videos—even as a complete beginner. 

Millions of creators, brands, and filmmakers rely on Descript to create professional videos. Join them today for free today and instantly turn your library of content into translated videos.

Video translation FAQs

Can AI transcribe a video?

AI video editors use speech recognition and natural language processing to convert spoken dialogue into written text. You can translate this transcript and use it to add translated subtitles to the video or use an AI voice to speak it for you.

How can I translate a video?

Online video translators can turn your audio footage into another language. Descript, for example, has the ability to translate the automatically generated transcript into 20+ different languages.

What is the best video translator?

Descript is the best video translator because it offers an AI video editing assistant built into the software. Underlord allows anyone to get a transcript of their video, translate the audio, remove filler words, add speaker labels, and use an AI stock voice to overdub the translated video.