YouTube video translator
Translate YouTube videos with AI dubbing and subtitles
Paste a YouTube link you are allowed to process, choose a target language, and WaveShift handles transcription, translation, dubbing, subtitles, and the final mix. The first dubbed segment can start playing while the rest of a long video is still rendering.
Eligible new users can receive up to 15 free minutes. Only process videos you have the right to use.
1 link
to begin
No manual download-and-reupload step for a supported public URL.
44
target languages
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Italian and English are fully supported; 34 more are marked Beta while their dubbing quality is verified.
Minutes
to first playback
Review the beginning before the complete dub has finished.
How to translate a YouTube video
A useful YouTube translation workflow should produce more than a transcript. It needs to preserve timing, speaker identity, captions, and the sound that sits underneath the dialogue.
WaveShift turns the link into a finished-video dubbing job, so the same review and export flow works whether the source came from YouTube or an uploaded file.
- Paste the YouTube URL and choose one of the supported target languages.
- WaveShift separates speech from background audio, transcribes the dialogue, and translates each timed line.
- The service generates speaker-aware dubbed speech, then remixes it with the original background stem and synced subtitles.
- Listen as segments become ready. After processing finishes, correct the subtitle lines that need it and regenerate only those lines; you can edit again later.
Built for videos that are too long to wait on blindly
Traditional batch dubbing makes a creator wait for the entire output before the first quality check. That is especially expensive when a lecture, interview, tutorial, or documentary runs for tens of minutes.
WaveShift publishes playable HLS segments as the job progresses. In an observed cohort of 1,668 completed jobs on October 1, 2026, median time to first playback was 2.4–4.0 minutes across video-length bands, and about three in four jobs began within five minutes. These are operational observations, not a guaranteed processing time.
What stays under your control
AI translation still needs editorial judgment. Names, technical terms, jokes, and context-dependent phrasing can require a human correction. WaveShift keeps the translated subtitles visible. Once processing finishes, you can repair selected lines without restarting the full job, while the source media remains available. You can edit again as often as you need; only the lines you change are re-dubbed.
The billing model also follows delivered dubbed audio: WaveShift initially holds the source duration, settles against audio actually delivered, and returns unused held time. Delivered audio can include pauses and background sound; this is not a speech-only word or sentence charge.
What you can review and export
Review translated speech and synchronized subtitles in WaveShift while segments become available. MP4 export is a separate step after processing; early playback does not mean the complete download is ready.
WaveShift does not change lip movements or translate text baked into the video image. If you only want to understand a video and its existing captions are sufficient, YouTube’s own caption controls may be all you need. Use a dubbing workflow when you need a translated spoken version to review and deliver.
Good fit, and when to use another workflow
This workflow fits creator-owned videos, licensed client work, public-domain media, and other sources you have permission to process. It is particularly useful for long-form education, interviews, product walkthroughs, and international channel editions.
It is not a rights-clearance service and it cannot make an unauthorized copy permissible. Very short social clips may also be faster to edit manually; WaveShift is optimized around finished videos where streaming review and line-level repair save meaningful time.
Frequently asked questions
Plan the rest of the workflow
Long-video dubbing
See why streaming playback changes review time.
How to dub a YouTube video
Read the practical step-by-step guide.
Speed methodology
Inspect the sample, definitions, and limitations behind our timing claims.
Compare video translation tools
See where WaveShift fits next to HeyGen, Rask AI, Synthesia and ElevenLabs.
Chrome extension
Dub inside the YouTube and Bilibili player without copying links.
Watch a real dub
An English-to-German dub of NASA footage, on YouTube.
Test it on your own video
Eligible new users can receive up to 15 free minutes. Only process videos you have the right to use.
Translate a YouTube video