How to Translate YouTube Videos to English (2026): Viewers and Creators
Short answer: it depends on whose video it is. If you’re watching someone else’s video, use what YouTube already offers on that video: captions, or an English audio track if the creator added one. If it’s your own video, you can let YouTube’s automatic dubbing handle it if your channel has it, upload your own English audio track, or make an English version with an AI dubbing tool such as FunGen AI Dubbing.
This guide covers both sides, starting with viewers.
If you’re watching: what YouTube gives you
You can only use what the video already has. YouTube doesn’t let a viewer generate a new dub for any video.
Captions. If a video has captions, the CC button appears at the bottom right of the player. Click it to turn captions on, and use Settings → Subtitles/CC to change the caption options (YouTube Help). Which caption languages you can choose depends on the video. Turning on CC doesn’t by itself turn the speech into English.
English audio tracks. Some videos come with audio in more than one language. In the player, open Settings → Audio track and choose English if it’s listed (YouTube Help).
Auto-dubbed videos. YouTube creates translated audio tracks for some channels. These videos say “auto-dubbed” in the description, and you switch tracks the same way as above. The creator manages this, not the viewer (YouTube Help).
If a video has none of these, there’s no built-in way for a viewer to get English audio.
If it’s your video: three ways to make an English version
1. YouTube automatic dubbing
YouTube says automatic dubbing is on by default for eligible creators. In YouTube Studio on desktop you turn it on or off under Settings → Channel → Advanced settings, and manage the dubs for a single video under Content → (your video) → Languages. It only covers certain language pairs. For many source languages the only target listed is English, and you can’t edit the automatic dubs. Videos with little speech, very fast speech or copyright claims may not be dubbed. Check the current language table on YouTube’s automatic dubbing page before you rely on it.
2. Upload your own English audio track
With multi-language audio you upload a dubbed track yourself and viewers pick it under Audio track. YouTube says this is available to creators with access to Advanced features. The track you upload is an audio file that should match the length of the video. It is added next to the original audio, and the video picture doesn’t change (YouTube Help).
3. Make the English version with an AI dubbing tool
An AI dubbing tool transcribes the speech, translates it and generates new speech in the target language, trying to keep the speaker’s voice. With FunGen AI Dubbing you upload your own video file (MP4 or MOV, not a YouTube link), pick English or one of 31 other languages, and choose a mode:
| Voice only | Voice + lip sync | |
|---|---|---|
| What changes | The speech | The speech and the mouth movements |
| Max length | 5 minutes | 120 seconds |
| Price | 3 credits per second | 11 credits per second |
| Time in two tests (7–8 s clips) | 17–29 seconds | about 2–7 minutes |
You see the full price before you start and are only charged when the dubbed video is delivered.
How the result fits on YouTube. FunGen gives you back a video file, so there are two ways to use it:
- Voice only → as an extra audio track. Extract the audio from the dubbed video in your video editor, check that it lines up with your original upload, then add it as an English track (route 2 above, if your channel has multi-language audio).
- Voice + lip sync → as its own video. The picture itself changed, so an audio track on the original video can’t carry it. Publish it as a separate English version, for example on a second channel or as a Short.
Example: the two modes side by side
This example shows the difference between the modes. It was made on 1 November 2026 and dubbed from English into Spanish, not into English, so treat it as a comparison of the modes rather than a test of English output. The original is an AI-generated clip and doesn’t show a real person.
- Original (English)
- Spanish, Voice only: same length (7.2 s), picture unchanged
- Spanish, Voice + lip sync: 8.5 seconds, compared with the 7.2-second source. Compare the mouth movements with the original.
You can play all three on the AI Dubbing page.
How to get a good English version
- Clear speech, one speaker at a time. Crosstalk, heavy music under the voice and strong accents make the transcript and the voice match worse.
- Try a short clip first. Dub 20 to 30 seconds, check it, then do the full video.
- Use lip sync when the face is on screen and close. For voice-overs, screen recordings or b-roll, Voice only is enough and costs much less.
- Have a fluent English speaker check it before you publish, especially names, numbers and product terms.
- Say it’s AI-dubbed where the platform asks you to.
Only translate videos you have the rights to, and voices you are allowed to recreate: your own, or those of people who have clearly agreed. Don’t download someone else’s video and re-upload a translated copy.
FAQ
Can I translate any YouTube video into English myself? As a viewer you can only use the captions and audio tracks the video already has. If you need an English version of someone else’s video, ask the creator.
Can I paste a YouTube link into FunGen? No. Upload your own original video file. That’s also the best quality source.
Is AI dubbing the same as subtitles? No. Subtitles show translated text. Dubbing replaces the spoken audio, and lip sync also changes the mouth movements to match.
How long does it take? In two tests using 7–8 second clips, Voice only took 17–29 seconds and Voice + lip sync took about 2–7 minutes. These are observed timings, not guarantees: processing time varies with the length of the video, the mode and how busy the service is.