Translate while transcribing
Set your output to English or another language right when you start the transcription. Every tier supports this except Oracle Mini.
Translated subtitles
Get subtitles in every language you need from a single video.
Start by transcribing your video in the spoken language.
Live demo
Runs in your browser.
From there, translate the text into other supported languages and export a separate subtitle file for each one. Because every file uses the original timestamps, all your translations stay synced with the video.
- Translatebetween supported languages
- Shared timelineevery language uses the same timestamps
- Separate filesexport SRT or VTT for each language
- 100+languages transcribed
Two ways to make translated subtitles
With KolWrite, you can translate the audio as it is being transcribed, or clean up the original transcript first and translate it afterward. Both work from the same recording.
Edit first, then translate
Clean up the source transcript before you run the translation. If you fix a misspelled name once in the original, it carries over properly when you translate.
Original timing stays intact
Your translated text drops right into the existing time cues. Since some languages take more words to say the same thing, you may still want to split or combine a few lines.
What to review before publishing
Treat machine translation as a first pass. Viewers read subtitles fast, and mistakes are easy to spot in public, so have a person look them over.
Names and terminology
Make sure people's names, product names, and technical terms are either translated the way you want or left in the original language.
Tone and meaning
Literal translations usually miss jokes, idioms, and politeness levels. Have someone who speaks the language read the subtitles through.
Line length and reading pace
Translations can run longer than the original lines. Trim them down so viewers have time to read each one before it leaves the screen.
Going from one video to multiple subtitle tracks
Transcribe the spoken audio
Upload your video to generate a timed transcript. You can select the spoken language yourself or let KolWrite detect it.
Check the source text
Correct any names or specific terms in the original transcript. Every translation you make after this will use those corrections.
Run the translation
Pick the language you want and translate the transcript. Do this for as many languages as you need.
Export a file for each language
Download each language track as an SRT or VTT file. Label the files by language so your video editor or hosting platform lets viewers choose their track.
For developers and AI agents
You can also run everything KolWrite does with a recording through our API. Send the address of an audio or video file from your own code or an AI coding agent, and you'll get back the transcript with word timings, speaker labels, and an SRT file if you request one.
Word timings and speakers
The JSON output gives you the start and end time for every segment, plus individual word timings on models that support alignment. Turn on speaker separation to include a speaker label on each segment.
SRT and translation
Pass output_format as srt if you want subtitles directly from the API. If you are using the Oracle models, you can also set translate_to to get the text back in another language.
Built for agents
The API console publishes plain-text instructions for an agent to read before writing code. This includes agent-instructions.md, along with llms.txt, which links to the full reference.
Example request. The key comes from an environment variable, and the console has the full reference.
curl -X POST https://app.kolwrite.com/transcribe \
-H "x-api-key: $KOLWRITE_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"audio_url": "https://example.com/talk-he.mp4", "model": "oracle", "language": "he", "translate_to": "en", "output_format": "srt"}'
# Returns {"jobId": "..."}. Poll GET https://app.kolwrite.com/transcribe/{jobId}
# until status is COMPLETED. The result is the file or the JSON you asked for.Questions
How do I make subtitles in another language from a video?
First, transcribe the video in the language being spoken and review the text. Then translate that transcript into your target language and export it as an SRT file. You can repeat this for other languages, and every file will keep the original timing.
Which languages can I translate between?
KolWrite transcribes over 100 languages and translates between our supported languages. Look at the language list inside the app to see if your specific pair is available.
Can I translate Hebrew subtitles into English, or English into Hebrew?
Yes, both Hebrew and English are supported languages. When working with right-to-left text, preview the subtitles in your video player or editor. Punctuation sometimes jumps to the wrong end of a sentence, and English words mixed into a Hebrew line can flip the word order.
Is machine-translated subtitle text good enough to publish?
It gives you a solid draft, not a finished track. Because subtitles are public and errors stand out, you should have someone who knows both languages check the names, idioms, and overall tone.
Can an AI agent or my own code produce translated subtitles?
Yes. Using the KolWrite API, call an Oracle model with translate_to and set output_format to srt. Each request returns the subtitles in your target language. You can find agent-ready instructions in the API console.
Try translating the subtitles on one video.
Start with a short clip and translate it into one language. Before you publish, ask someone who speaks that language to read through the output.