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Translate YouTube transcript to Japanese

To translate a YouTube transcript to Japanese, paste the video link, choose Japanese as the target language, pick a text file, SRT or VTT, and select Translate subtitles. The captions are fetched, auto-generated ones included, and only their text is translated; every timestamp stays where it was. Japanese is included in the free plan.

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How to translate a YouTube transcript to Japanese in 3 steps

  1. Paste the YouTube link, paste a transcript, or choose an .srt or .vtt file.
  2. Check that Japanese is selected, then pick Text, SRT or VTT as the output.
  3. Select Translate subtitles, check any flagged cues, read the fastest cues yourself, since the speed check counts characters as it does for English, then download the file.

Example output

Real output of this tool, generated on from a video in the public library: MrBeast Joins The Sharks And Likes What He Sees | Shark Tank US | Shark Tank Global (Shark Tank Global). It is shown unedited; a run on the same video can word things differently. This sample was translated into Spanish; the tool above is set to Japanese.

Input

1
00:00:02,260 --> 00:00:24,720
Next up is a company using AI to re-imagine the ultimate classic toy. Hey Sharks, I'm Andrew. And I'm Kevin. We're both dads from rural Pennsylvania and we're here seeking $200,000 for a 10% stake in our company.

2
00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:40,720
Sharks, play isn't what it used to be. Kids glued to their phones, their tablets, video games. We love technology, but not like this. Well, we want to see kids get up, get outside, get in the backyard and just invent crazy games. That's why we created Ball 2.

Output

1
00:00:02,260 --> 00:00:24,720
Lo siguiente es una empresa que usa IA para reinventar el juguete clásico definitivo. Hola, tiburones, soy Andrew. Y yo soy Kevin. Somos dos padres de zonas rurales de Pensilvania y buscamos 200.000 dólares por una participación del 10% en nuestra empresa.

2
00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:40,720
Tiburones, el juego ya no es lo que era. Los niños están pegados a sus teléfonos, tabletas y videojuegos. Amamos la tecnología, pero no así. Bueno, queremos que los niños se levanten, salgan al patio trasero y simplemente inventen juegos locos. Por eso creamos Ball 2.

Text file, SRT or VTT in Japanese

Download subtitles.ja.txt (one caption per line, no timestamps), subtitles.ja.srt (for a video editor or YouTube Studio) or subtitles.ja.vtt (for HTML5 players). The text is in Japanese; every start and end time is the original one.

From a YouTube link each cue is a paragraph of several caption lines, so most cues are too long to show on screen. For Japanese subtitles that fit the screen, translate the .srt or .vtt file made for the video instead: it keeps its own cues.

Notes on Japanese translations

Japanese has no spaces between words and packs more meaning into each character. The reading-speed check uses the same limit for every language (17 characters per second), so a Japanese cue can pass it and still be hard to read. Read the fastest cues yourself.

Free and Pro

  • Without an account: AI tools need a free account.
  • Free account: 5 AI runs per day, videos up to 60 minutes. Japanese is one of the 5 free languages. Up to 300 cues or 20,000 characters per run.
  • Pro: 30 AI runs per hour, videos up to 120 minutes. Up to 5,000 cues, 50 languages, 5 at once as a ZIP, and a glossary of terms to keep.

Limits you should know

  • AI tools need a free account. A free account gets 5 runs for videos up to 60 minutes. Pro allows 30 runs per hour for videos up to 120 minutes. A run that fails or finds nothing reliable is not counted.
  • Results are private to you. They are not added to the public transcript library and not listed in the sitemap.
  • Machine translation: ask a native Japanese speaker to check it before you publish subtitles.
  • A video without captions cannot be translated from its link. Get its text with AI transcription first, then paste it here.

FAQ

Can the Japanese translation contain mistakes?

Yes. When this page was written, a run on the sample video added a phrase to the first cue that is not in the original (it says the amount is in dollars, not yen). That is why the sample above is in Spanish. Have a Japanese speaker read the file before you publish it.

Why can a Japanese line pass the length check and still be too wide?

The line check counts characters the same way in every language, 42 per line. Japanese characters are full-width, about twice as wide on screen as Latin letters, so a line under the limit can still fill the screen. Check long cues in the player.

Can I translate an English YouTube transcript to Japanese?

Yes. The captions can be in English or another language, auto-generated ones included; you only choose the target, Japanese.

Can I upload the Japanese SRT to YouTube?

Yes, and the times match the video. For subtitles viewers read on screen, translate the .srt file you made for the video rather than the link: from a link each cue is a paragraph of several caption lines and is usually flagged as too long.

Is translating to Japanese free?

Yes, with a free account: Japanese is one of the free languages (Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese).

By Kenji Saito · Updated