Shorts links accepted
Paste youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID links straight from the Share button, as well as any regular YouTube link.
Free · 106 languages · No sign-up
Translate YouTube Shorts: Read Any Short in Your Language
Paste a Shorts link, load the captions and translate them into any of 106 languages, line by line, with each line keeping its timestamp. Copy the translation or download it as TXT, SRT or VTT.
- 106 languages
- Timestamps kept on every line
- Copy or download SRT and VTT
Translate YouTube Shorts in a few taps: paste a youtube.com/shorts/ link, press Translate Short, and the captions of the Short appear as a transcript next to the video. Choose a language and every line is translated, while each line keeps its original timestamp, so you can still click a line to jump the Short to that moment.
This YouTube Shorts translator works on the words spoken in the Short, taken from its captions. It is machine translation, done line by line through Google Translate with MyMemory as a fallback, into 106 languages. It does not dub the audio and it does not draw subtitles on the YouTube player. What you get is the translated text, which you can read, copy, search, or download as a subtitle file with the original timings. There is no account, no extension and no app to install, on a computer, an iPhone or an Android phone.
Translate into 106 languages
Pick a target language and the whole caption track is translated line by line.
Timestamps kept
Every translated line keeps the start time of the original, so click-to-seek still works in the translation.
Download SRT or VTT
Save the translation as a subtitle file with the original timings, or as TXT, Markdown, Word or PDF.
Switch caption tracks
If the creator uploaded subtitles in several languages, pick the closest one first. Auto-generated tracks are labelled.
Search the translation
Search the translated lines for a word and copy only the matching lines if you need a quote.
How does a YouTube Shorts translator work?
A Short with speech usually has a caption track: subtitles the creator uploaded, or automatic captions YouTube creates with speech recognition. When you paste the link, the tool asks YouTube for those tracks and shows the one you pick as a list of lines, each with a start time and a duration in milliseconds.
When you choose a language, each line is sent for machine translation through Google Translate, with MyMemory used as a fallback if the first service does not answer. The translated text replaces the original on each line, but the timings stay exactly as they were. That is why the translation still lines up with the video and can be exported as a subtitle file.
A worked example
Take an illustrative example: a 45 second talking Short in Spanish with about 20 caption lines and about 120 words. You paste the link, the Spanish auto-generated track loads, and you choose English. All 20 lines are translated, and a line that started at 12,400 ms still shows 0:12 in the transcript. Downloaded as SRT, it becomes 00:00:12,400; as VTT, 00:00:12.400. Clicking the translated line moves the Short to 0:12. The whole translation is around 120 words, short enough to read in well under a minute.
How to translate a YouTube Short
Translating a Short takes about a minute, on a phone or a computer.
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1. Copy the Shorts link
In the YouTube app, tap Share on the Short and then Copy link. On a computer, copy the youtube.com/shorts/ address from the browser bar.
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2. Paste it and press Translate Short
Paste the link into the box at the top of this page. The captions load as a transcript next to the video.
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3. Pick the caption track
If the Short offers several tracks, choose the original language or a creator-uploaded track. A track already in your language needs no translation.
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4. Choose a language and translate
Select one of the 106 languages. Each line is translated and keeps its timestamp.
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5. Copy or download
Press Copy transcript, or download the translation as TXT, SRT, VTT, Markdown, Word or PDF.
How to translate YouTube Shorts to English
English is the most common target. Paste the link, choose English as the language, and read the translation line by line. If the Short already has an English caption track uploaded by the creator, pick that track instead of translating: a human subtitle usually reads better than machine translation. If the only track is auto-generated in the original language, translating it is the quickest way to understand the Short.
Translate a YouTube Short without CC
Shorts often play without the CC button switched on, and some show no captions in the player at all. If the Short has a caption track behind the scenes, even an automatic one, this page can still load and translate it. If it has no caption track, there is no text to translate: we do not transcribe audio. A Short with only music, or with only text drawn on the picture, cannot be translated here, because that text is part of the image and not the captions.
Can YouTube translate Shorts by itself?
YouTube has its own auto-translate option for captions in the player on many videos, which can show translated captions while the video plays. Whether it is available, and how it looks, depends on the video, the device and the app version, and on Shorts the player controls are limited. This page is useful when you want the translated text itself: to read it at your own pace, search it, copy it into notes, or keep a subtitle file.
Languages you can translate YouTube Shorts into
The translation covers 106 target languages, including the ones people search for most. Here is what to expect for some common choices.
| Target language | Output | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| English | Translated lines with timestamps | Pick a creator English track first if one exists |
| Spanish, Portuguese, French | Translated lines with timestamps | Download as SRT or VTT with original timings |
| Hindi, Tamil, Bengali | Translated lines in the native script | Names and slang may need checking |
| Arabic, Hebrew | Right-to-left text, timestamps kept | Copy and paste keeps the script |
| Japanese, Korean, Chinese | Translated lines in the native script | Short caption lines can lose context |
| Any of the 106 | Same line count as the original | Machine translation, review before publishing |
Download translated subtitles for a Short
Downloads are built in your browser from the lines currently shown, so after translating you can save the translated text. SRT gives numbered cues with HH:MM:SS,mmm times, VTT gives a WEBVTT file with HH:MM:SS.mmm times, and both keep the original timings. Creators can review a translated SRT and upload it to their own Short in YouTube Studio as a subtitle track. TXT, Markdown, Word and PDF are there for reading and sharing.
Who translates YouTube Shorts?
Viewers and language learners
Understand a Short in a language you do not speak, or compare the original and the translation line by line while you learn.
Creators
Translate your own Short to draft subtitles for a new audience. Review the result, then upload it as a subtitle track.
Researchers and journalists
Read and quote foreign-language Shorts with timestamps, and click a line to check the original audio.
How accurate is a YouTube Shorts translation?
Accuracy depends on two layers. First, the source captions: creator-uploaded subtitles are usually close to word perfect, while automatic captions can mishear fast speech, slang, names and music, which is common in Shorts. Second, the machine translation: it translates each short caption line on its own, so jokes, idioms and sentences split across lines can come out stiff or wrong.
For understanding a Short, the result is usually good enough. For publishing subtitles, have a fluent speaker review them. Shorts with no captions have nothing to translate, and private, age-restricted and members-only videos fail because we do not sign in or bypass restrictions.
Why this Shorts translator is different
Many translation tools are extensions that work only on desktop, or apps that need an account. This is a web page that accepts Shorts links directly and works the same on a phone. The translation stays connected to the video: every line keeps its timestamp, you can click it to seek, and you can download it as SRT or VTT with the original timings.
| Feature | This tool | Typical extension or app |
|---|---|---|
| Install or sign-up | None | Extension install or account |
| Works on iPhone and Android | Yes, in the browser | Often desktop only |
| Target languages | 106 | Varies |
| Timestamps kept per line | Yes | Sometimes |
| Download translated SRT or VTT | Yes | Rarely |
| Audio dubbing | No | Sometimes, often paid |
| Price | Free | Free tier, then paid |
What we measure and what we do not
We read the caption track YouTube serves for the Short, with its words, start times and durations, its language and whether it is auto-generated. We translate the text line by line through Google Translate with MyMemory as a fallback. We do not transcribe or dub audio, read on-screen text, show bilingual subtitles on the YouTube player, or rewrite text with AI. Transcripts are cached on our server for up to 12 hours, and there is no account or saved history.
Sources
How Shorts, captions and caption translation work on YouTube:
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to translate YouTube Shorts here?
Yes. There is no account, no paywall and nothing to install. Paste a Shorts link and translate.
How do I translate a YouTube Short to English?
Paste the Shorts link at the top of this page, press Translate Short, choose English, and read or copy the translated lines.
Can I translate a YouTube Short without CC?
Yes, if the Short has a caption track behind the scenes, even an automatic one. If it has no captions at all, there is nothing to translate.
Does it dub the audio or show subtitles on the player?
No. It translates the caption text and shows it as a transcript. It does not dub audio or draw subtitles on the YouTube player.
How many languages can I translate a Short into?
106 languages. Each line is machine translated and keeps its original timestamp.
Can I download the translated subtitles?
Yes. After translating, download the lines as SRT or VTT with the original timings, or as TXT, Markdown, Word or PDF.
Can it translate text written on the video?
No. Text drawn on the picture is not part of the captions, so only spoken words that appear in the caption track are translated.