How to translate a video to English, step by step

I need to turn our launch video into English for a second market. Keep the same look, but make the words fit.

That is the right problem to solve first. In video, words sit inside the edit, the voice, and the captions. If one part changes, the others may need a nudge too.

So the clean way is simple: decide what stays fixed, translate the script, then rebuild the video around the English version.

Brand says translation is easy. Timing is the part that likes to argue.

What to translate first

Before you open the edit, sort the words into four buckets. Spoken words, subtitles, on-screen text, and the final call to action. Those are not always the same job.

Start with the source text. If you have a script or a document, use that. If you do not, transcribe the voice first. Then make a short glossary for fixed terms. Keep product names, legal lines, and any approved phrases in one place.

Next, decide the approval order. Who checks the translation first. Who checks brand terms. Who signs off on the final cut. That keeps notes from bouncing around for days.

Finally, set your length target. A line can run a little long. A full film cannot keep stretching. Write down the limit in seconds before you start changing anything.

Before you translate

Do not start by opening the edit. Start by making a short list. Keep the message, not every word. That one choice saves a lot of pain later.

Before you translate, decide these things:

• What names must stay the same.
• What product terms must stay exact.
• What legal lines must be kept word for word.
• What call to action should end the film.
• How long the English version may be, in seconds.
• Where the film will live, wide, tall, or square.

If the same film needs to sit on a website, a phone, and a feed, plan for shape early. A wide cut may need a different crop than a tall one. That is normal.

If you already have a script or a document, use that as your source. If not, write the spoken words first. Do not translate from the final edit if the script is missing. You will spend longer guessing than writing.

The safest way to translate a video to English

The safest route is to make an English script first. Then fit the video to that script. It sounds boring. It is also the least messy.

Read the English script out loud. Time it against the original video. If a line runs long, shorten it. If it lands too early, add a small pause or a beat in the edit. The goal is not perfect word matching. The goal is clean timing.

When English is longer, you have three common choices. Shorten the line. Give the shot more room. Or cut a scene that does not earn its place. Do not force a long sentence into a short shot if the result looks cramped.

Subtitles, dubbing, and full re-cutting each solve a different problem. Subtitles are best when the original voice still works and the screen is not busy. Dubbing works when you want the viewer listening, not reading. A re-cut is the right move when the original timing is too tight or the on-screen text needs a real rewrite.

After that, record or add the English voice. Then check every on-screen word. Titles, labels, captions, product names, and the final call to action all need to match the English version. One tiny leftover line in the old language can make the whole film look unfinished.

If you use Nine, the simple path is the same. Nine makes short animated films with a voice, music and sound effects. A film is made in the language of the words you give it. So one translated English script makes one English film. If you need several languages, the clean way is one film per language. See The same film in several languages.

Step by step: from one video to an English version

1. Step 1

   Pull the original script. If you do not have one, transcribe the voice first. The spoken words matter more than the old edit.

2. Step 2

   Make a glossary. List names, product terms, and fixed phrases. This keeps the English version from drifting.

3. Step 3

   Translate for meaning. Keep the point, not the wording. A good English line may be shorter or longer than the original.

4. Step 4

   Mark the long lines. Circle anything that will not fit the same shot length. These are the lines that cause timing trouble.

5. Step 5

   Read the English aloud. Time it with a phone timer or the original video. If the sentence is crowded, cut a few words.

6. Step 6

   Check the visual text. Look at captions, titles, logos, labels, and the final line on screen. A one-word title can still need a rewrite if it sits too tight.

7. Step 7

   Watch once with sound, once without. With sound, you catch rhythm. Without sound, you catch on-screen text that stays up too long or disappears too soon.

8. Step 8

   Export the right version. Save the shape you need for the channel. A website cut, a feed cut, and a phone cut are not the same thing.

What usually goes wrong

Most bad English versions fail for plain reasons, not dramatic ones. The words are too long. The timing is too tight. Or the screen is crowded.

Here are the common snags, with fixes:

• Direct translation is too long. Rewrite for meaning and cut filler words.
• A slogan or pun does not land. Replace it with a plain English line that says the same thing.
• Screen text crowds the frame. Break one long title into two lines, or move the card earlier.
• The voice lands late. Shorten the script or give the shot more room.
• Music cues do not match the new cut. Move the edit points, then recheck the music starts and ends.

Sometimes the fix is small. Trim a line. Move a title card. Give the voice a half-second more room. Sometimes the fix is bigger. If a joke or a phrase depends on the original language, rewrite it for English rather than forcing it through.

If your source is a script or a document, that helps a lot. A clean starting point is easier to translate than a finished edit with layers of text and timing already locked in. A film from a script or a document covers that route.

How long it takes

Time varies with script length, approvals, and how much text must change. A short, tidy film can move faster than a messy one. The work usually takes longest in three places: translation review, caption checks, and voice pickup.

For a longer film, expect more passes. Translation, timing, voice, captions, and review all need attention. The slowest part is often review, not the first draft. That is normal. People need time to read, compare, and ask for one more tweak.

If several people need approval, build in time for notes. One person says the line is too formal. Another wants the closing line shorter. A third spots a caption that is one word too long. That is how video work goes.

If you are making a series, create a shared glossary first. It keeps product names and fixed phrases from wandering from one film to the next.

When to make one film per language

If the words are spoken on screen, one film per language is usually the cleanest choice. That keeps timing, voice, and captions lined up. It also stops the English version from looking like a patch job.

Start with the translated script in each language, then make the edit for that version. Do not try to make one master cut do every job. That is how lines run long and titles start to bunch up.

This is also the simple rule if you use Nine. A film is made in the language of the words you give it, so the easiest path is one translated script per language. Nine also starts from a sentence, a script or a document, a template, a voice recording, or a website address.

If you only need a quick starting point, a film of your own comes with a plan. Plans and what they include are on /pricing. If you want to try the look first, you can also make a free film at /free-film.

If you only need English subtitles

Subtitles are useful when you want to keep the original voice. That can save time, especially if the film already works well and the sound is clear.

This option is good when people can watch with sound on low or off. It also works better when the screen has a lot of open space. If the frame is busy, subtitles can crowd the bottom edge and fight with titles or logos.

Use subtitles when the original voice still carries the message. Use a full English voice when people need to listen closely, or when the video will be watched in a loud place. If the screen already has a lot of text, keep the subtitle line short.

There is no prize for using the cheapest fix. Use the version that makes the message easiest to read.

A quick checklist before you export

• Does the English script say the same thing?
• Do the lines fit the shot length?
• Do captions match the voice?
• Are product names and legal lines correct?
• Does the ending match the call to action?
• Does the film work in the shape you need?

If you need a calm estimate for a short cut, keep this in mind. Translation itself may be quick, but approval usually takes longer. The film is not finished when the words are right. It is finished when the right people have signed off on the right version.

For more on length, this guide may help: How Long Should a Short Animated Film Be? Shorter Than You Think. And if you are still choosing a format, help has the basics.

If your team is doing this often, build a small system. One owner for wording. One glossary. One review link. One final export per language. That is usually enough to keep the whole thing sane.

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