How to dub a video into another language with AI

To dub a video into another language, keep the original visuals, translate the editable narration, choose a voice for the target language, review the timing, and export a new MP4. With ScreenDub, one screen recording or uploaded video can become versions in 80+ languages. The recording stays the same while the script, narration, title cards, chapter titles, and captions move into the language you choose. This guide covers the full workflow, the editorial checks that protect meaning, and the limits to plan around.

What AI dubbing changes—and what it does not

Dubbing changes the spoken explanation without asking you to record the screen again. That makes it useful for product demos, tutorials, training videos, webinars, and other content where the visuals already work in every market. The source recording or slides remain the visual reference; the narration is translated and generated again for the target language.

ScreenDub also moves the written parts of the project with the language change: the video title, opening and closing cards, chapter titles, and captions. You do not have to publish English labels over Spanish, French, or Hindi narration. The translated script remains editable, so a fluent reviewer can correct product names, terminology, tone, and phrasing before anything is exported.

What to prepare before you dub

• A usable source video. Bring an MP4, WebM, or MOV up to 650 MB, or record the source in the browser first.
• A terminology list. Write down official product names, feature labels, acronyms, names, numbers, and words that should stay untranslated.
• A reviewer for the target market. Machine translation can be grammatically correct and still be wrong for a product, industry, or audience. Assign someone who can check meaning and natural phrasing.
• A publishing plan. Decide whether the output needs burned-in captions, a separate subtitle file, chapters, or a PDF guide in addition to the MP4.

Start with a clean source. If the original script misnames a feature or explains the wrong step, every translation inherits the problem. Review the recording and remove mistakes or private information before processing it; the Help Center explains this in Editing your recording.

How to dub a video into another language

1. Record or upload the source. Record a browser tab, window, or full screen, or upload an MP4, WebM, or MOV. Keep the video within your plan’s per-video limit and the 650 MB upload limit. If the source is longer, split it into logical lessons or chapters so each version is easier to review.
2. Open the project in the editor. Review the source footage and the generated narration before translating. Fix product names, numbers, instructions, and claims in the original script first. A corrected source is the foundation for every target language.
3. Change the narration language. In the editor, choose the target narration language. ScreenDub translates the script and carries the language change through titles, chapter cards, captions, and other written project text while leaving the recording and slides untouched. See Translating narration for the product steps.
4. Choose a voice and accent. Preview a voice in the target language and select one that matches the content. A calm instructional voice usually suits a tutorial; a more energetic delivery may fit a launch video. You can change the voice before generating the final version. See Choosing a voice & accent.
5. Review the translated script. Read every segment against the footage and the source meaning. Replace literal wording, correct names and terminology, and remove claims the original video does not support. Do not assume that a translation that sounds fluent is automatically accurate.
6. Generate and correct the narration. Create the target-language narration, then listen for pronunciation, pauses, emphasis, and timing. If one line is wrong, edit that segment and re-narrate it instead of rebuilding the entire source. The Help Center covers this in Corrections & re-narration.
7. Set captions and chapters. Decide whether captions should be skipped, burned into the video, or exported separately. Add chapters when the video has clear parts; they align with the project’s segments and help viewers return to a specific step.
8. Export the localized MP4. Render the target-language video and watch the finished file from beginning to end. Keep the editor tab open while the browser render runs. See Exporting & rendering for export behavior and quality choices.

A practical example: localizing a product walkthrough

Imagine a two-minute English walkthrough that shows a teammate how to create a project, invite a collaborator, and choose a role. You want Spanish and German versions without recording the interface again.

1. Upload the English MP4 and read the source narration against each screen state.
2. Correct the product name and add the missing explanation of what each role can access.
3. Change the narration language to Spanish, choose a voice, and read the translated lines.
4. Ask a Spanish-speaking reviewer to correct the permission terminology and unnatural phrasing.
5. Generate the Spanish narration, listen for timing around the role-selection screen, and correct any line that runs long.
6. Repeat the language change for German from the same source project, with a German reviewer checking the target script.
7. Export each version with captions and a consistent chapter structure, then watch both files before publishing.

The scalable part is not simply generating more audio. It is keeping one approved visual source, one verified set of product facts, and a review step for each language. That prevents different markets from drifting into different instructions.

How to make a dub sound natural and stay accurate

Translate the idea, not each word

Spoken language rarely maps word for word. A literal translation can be technically correct and still sound stiff. Preserve the instruction, reason, and result, then let a fluent reviewer adjust the sentence to how people actually speak in the target language.

Keep product terms consistent

Decide whether a feature name is a brand term, a translated phrase, or a term that should stay in English. Apply that decision everywhere: narration, captions, chapter titles, and the written guide. Inconsistent terminology makes a translated product feel unreliable.

Check timing without forcing a mouth-sync promise

The target narration is generated for the existing video timing, so listen for whether each sentence finishes while the relevant screen state is still visible. Some languages take more or fewer words than the source. Shorten or rewrite a line when needed; do not make the voice so fast that a first-time viewer cannot follow it. For a screen recording, timing the spoken instruction to the visible action matters more than matching a speaker’s lips.

Review names, numbers, and warnings separately

Run a focused pass for feature names, URLs, currencies, dates, measurements, permissions, warnings, and calls to action. These details are easy to overlook and costly to get wrong. Have the reviewer compare the target script with the approved source, not just with the generated audio.

Dubbing, subtitles, and re-recording compared

Dubbing

New narration in the target language; visuals stay the same

Subtitles

Translated on-screen text; original audio remains

Re-recording

New source capture and performance for each language

Best fit

Use dubbing for repeatable localization, subtitles for text access, and re-recording when the presenter or visuals must change

These approaches can work together. A dubbed tutorial with translated captions is easier to follow in noisy environments and more accessible with sound off. A re-recording is still the right choice when the video includes a presenter whose delivery is central, or when the screen itself contains language-specific text that must be redesigned.

What the localized project can include

The translated narration is only one output. From the same project, you can configure captions, chapters, and the finished MP4. A written step-by-step PDF guide can also accompany the video when the audience needs a reference they can scan or print. Decide which formats the audience actually uses instead of exporting everything by default.

If your source is a slide deck rather than a video, start with a narrated PowerPoint or PDF, then translate that project. The visual slides remain the source while the narration and written elements move into the selected language.

Current ScreenDub limits

Video input

Browser recording or MP4, WebM, or MOV upload

Upload limit

Video uploads up to 650 MB; output quality up to 2K

Video length

Free 6 min; Creator 10 min; Pro 12 min; Teams 15 min per video

Languages

80+ narration and translation languages on every plan

Free usage

8 narration minutes/month, 3 exports/video, 5 guides/month, watermark

Paid usage

50, 120, or 250 narration minutes/month on Creator, Pro, or Teams; no watermark

Translation creates new narration, so each target-language version uses minutes from your monthly narration pool. ScreenDub bills by narration minutes rather than seats, and the pool refreshes monthly. Check the pricing page when planning a large localization run.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Translating before correcting the source script, which spreads one error across every market.
• Using literal wording that sounds unnatural to native speakers.
• Changing a product term in the narration while leaving a different term in the interface or captions.
• Publishing without checking numbers, permissions, warnings, URLs, and calls to action.
• Assuming close timing means every sentence fits; listen to the target audio against the screen.
• Skipping captions when viewers may watch muted or need on-screen text.
• Letting one person approve every language without the necessary fluency or subject knowledge.
• Uploading a video longer or larger than the plan and file limits allow.

Frequently asked questions

Localize your first video with ScreenDub. Read Translating narration for the product steps, or continue with how to add an AI voiceover to a video when you need narration without translation.