How to translate a YouTube transcript

Sometimes you want the whole text of a video, not only the subtitle line. You may want to read it, study it, or keep it. Here are the ways to get it in another language.

Way 1: YouTube's own transcript panel

1. Open the video and click the description under it.
2. Choose Show transcript.
3. Use the language menu in the panel if the video has more than one track.

You get the text with times. You can click a line to jump to it. The panel shows one language at a time.

Way 2: Auto-translate the subtitles

Open the subtitle settings and choose Auto-translate. Pick your language. YouTube translates the track as you watch. This is good for understanding, but the text is machine made and can be wrong, especially with slang.

Way 3: A two-column view with an extension

Dual Subtitles adds a transcript panel next to the video that shows every line in both languages. You can:

• search the text,
• click a line to jump there,
• choose the original language and the translation language from a list.

Download as a file

Dual Subtitles can save the subtitles in these formats:

• a dual-language SRT, with both lines in each cue,
• an SRT with only the original,
• an SRT with only the translation,
• a dual WebVTT file,
• a plain TXT file.

You can open SRT files in most video players, and in many subtitle editors. Use them for your own study.

A note on rights

Subtitles belong to the video creator. Use downloaded text for personal study. Do not repost it as your own work.

Make it useful

A transcript is a good base for study. Pick ten useful sentences, say them out loud, and save the words to Anki. Or try dictation with the same lines.