Japanese to English
Translate Japanese video to English subtitles
Yes. Upload your Japanese video, choose English, and watch a preview of up to 20 seconds with English subtitles before you pay. You do not need to select Japanese: the spoken language is detected. Buy the full video for $3 or subscribe. The original audio stays, and you get the MP4 plus SRT and TXT files in both languages.
Upload a video in Japanese (日本語), choose English, and download it with English subtitles burned in. The Japanese speech is detected, so you do not select it.
What you get back
- Your video as an MP4 with English subtitles burned into the picture.
- An English SRT file for players and platforms that take subtitle files.
- An SRT of the Japanese speech, so you have both sides of the translation.
- Plain TXT transcripts of both, for notes, articles, or search.
How a Japanese video gets English subtitles
Add your video
Upload an MP4, MOV, AVI, or MKV file, or paste a link from a supported source.
Choose English
You do not select Japanese as the source. The speech is detected and transcribed in the language it was spoken, then translated into English.
Download the result
You get the video with English subtitles burned in. Purchases include SRT and TXT files in Japanese and English.
What the speech recognition has to deal with in Japanese
Japanese speech often leaves out the subject, puts the verb last, and uses many words that sound the same. Names written in kanji can be read in more than one way, and speech recognition hears the sound, not the intended characters. The speech recognition writes Japanese text, and the English translation is made from that transcript.
- Names are the most common problem. The same kanji name can be read several ways, so check every person, place and company name in the English.
- Japanese often drops the subject. Check cues where it is not clear who did something.
- Katakana loanwords usually come from English but can change meaning (マンション is an apartment, not a mansion). Check that they translate by meaning.
- Keigo, the polite and humble speech forms, has no English grammar. Politeness becomes word choice in the English.
What to check in the English result
Check every name first, then read conversations for who is speaking.
Want Japanese subtitles instead? See Translate video to Japanese. For any other spoken language, see Translate video to English.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to tell Vid Hub the video is in Japanese?
No. The spoken language is detected from the audio, so you only choose English as the language to translate into.
Will the original Japanese audio stay?
Yes. Vid Hub adds English subtitles to the picture. It does not dub the video or replace the voice.
Do I get the Japanese transcript as well as the English subtitles?
Yes, when you pay for the video or subscribe. You get SRT and TXT files in Japanese and English next to the MP4 with English subtitles burned in.
Can I fix names or wording before I download?
Yes, on the Pro and Studio plans. You can edit the text and timings in the subtitle editor, trim the clip, and reburn before downloading.