Day 22 — Translate Any Video’s Subtitles Into Your Language (AI 1-Minute Challenge)

Ever found a great tutorial or interview online — but it’s only in English? Here’s exactly how to read it in your own language without waiting for official subtitles. Paste the text into an AI tool, and you’re done in under a minute.

Sound familiar?

You find a YouTube video that’s perfect — the right topic, the right speaker — but the subtitles are in English and your brain is working twice as hard just to follow along. You don’t want to miss the good stuff buried in the middle. You just want to understand it.

The 60-Second Fix

Most videos let you copy subtitle text directly. Once you have it, an AI subtitle translator does the rest.

Step 1 — Grab the subtitle text

On YouTube, click “…more” under the video description to expand it, scroll down, and click “Show transcript”. Select all the text and copy it. For other platforms, download the .srt file or copy the on-screen captions manually.

Step 2 — Open Gemini or ChatGPT

Both work well here. Gemini tends to handle longer subtitle blocks smoothly. ChatGPT is great if you want to ask follow-up questions about the content afterward.

Step 3 — Paste this prompt

Translate the following English subtitles into [your language].
Keep the meaning natural — don't translate word-for-word.
Preserve the order of each line.

[paste your subtitle text here]

That’s it. Hit send and read the result.

Real Example

Input subtitles (pasted in):

So the first thing you want to do is open your settings.
Then scroll down until you see "Privacy."
Tap it, and you'll find everything you need right there.

AI output (Korean example):

먼저 설정을 여세요.
그런 다음 아래로 스크롤해서 “개인정보 보호”를 찾으세요.
탭하면 필요한 모든 것이 바로 보입니다.

Clean, natural, readable — not robotic. That’s what makes this better than a basic word-for-word translation tool.

Level Up

• Ask for a summary instead: Add “After translating, give me a 3-sentence summary” to your prompt — useful if the transcript is long.
• Language learning mode: Ask the AI to show English and your language side by side, line by line — great practice for learners.
• Adjust the tone: Add “Use simple, everyday language” or “Keep it formal” depending on how you plan to use it.

FAQ

Can I use this for any language?
Yes — Gemini and ChatGPT support dozens of languages including Spanish, French, Japanese, Arabic, Hindi, Korean, and more. Just name your target language in the prompt.

What if the subtitle text is too long to paste?
Break it into chunks and paste in parts, using the same prompt each time. Both tools handle long inputs well, but splitting keeps things clean.

Is this the same as real-time translation?
Not quite — this is translation after the fact, from copied text. Real-time AI translation during live video is a different (and growing) feature in tools like Google Meet. This method works for any recorded video, any time.

Today’s Check-in

Try it with one video you’ve been meaning to watch — paste the transcript and see your language come back to you. Drop a comment below: what video did you finally get to understand?

Tomorrow on Day 23, we’re going deeper into language — but this time it’s music. We’ll use AI to decode the hidden meaning and cultural context behind your favorite song’s lyrics. 🎵