How to translate text and captions in a CapCut project

CapCut can translate captions it makes from speech, but not the text you typed yourself. Titles, lower thirds and other text layers stay in their language, so a version per language means a copy of the project with every text layer retyped. Translate titles does both from the CapCut project folder. It translates every text layer and caption into the languages you pick and gives you back the draft with one timeline per language.

Machine translation. Check with a fluent speaker before publishing.

The manual way: a copy of the project for each language

1. On CapCut's home screen, right-click the finished project and duplicate it. Rename the copy with the language.
2. Open the copy. Select each text layer in the timeline and type the translation in the text box of the Text panel.
3. Do every text layer, then start again for the next language.

Translated text is often longer than the English, so a title that fit can wrap or run off the screen, which matters most on a 9:16 video. The W3C's article on text size in translation puts short strings at up to two or three times the English length.

Captions from speech

CapCut's auto captions can be bilingual. In Captions > Auto captions, choose the spoken language and the language to translate to, then generate. You get the spoken words and the translation together, which suits a bilingual video. CapCut's help page on bilingual subtitles shows the steps for desktop and phone. Menu names move between CapCut versions, so look for the translate option under Auto captions.

To deliver captions as files instead, export the subtitles from CapCut as SRT and translate those.

The CutConvert way: one timeline per language in the same draft

1. Find the project folder. On a Mac it's in ~/Movies/CapCut/User Data/Projects/com.lveditor.draft, one folder per project. On Windows it's in %LOCALAPPDATA%\CapCut\User Data\Projects\com.lveditor.draft. The guide to where CapCut saves projects has more.
2. Drop the folder with your project's name on Translate titles. CutConvert reads it on your computer and lists every text layer and caption it found, with the timecode of each.
3. Pick the languages. Names, brands and anything else that should stay as it is go in Keep these words as they are. The first 10 items in one language preview free, on screen.
4. Check the review table. Every line can be edited, and the lines to look at are flagged: longer than the original, a font that may not have the new script's characters, or right-to-left text. Shorten asks for a shorter version of a line, and Export CSV gives you the table to send to your own translator.
5. Tick the box to confirm a fluent speaker will check the translations and download. Quit CapCut, unzip the download into CapCut's projects folder and open CapCut. The project is on the home screen.

The draft holds the original timeline and one timeline per language, named after the original with the language and its code at the end. Each translated timeline starts with a marker named "Machine-translated: review before delivery".

What comes across, and what doesn't

• Text layers keep their position, size, colour, animation and the rest of their styling, with only the words changed.
• Captions come back translated with their timing and style.
• Fonts. CapCut uses its own default font for fonts it can't match, and READ-ME-FIRST.txt in the download says when a language is in a non-Latin script. Check Japanese, Arabic and Hindi lines in CapCut before you export.
• Encrypted drafts can't be read. Recent Windows versions of CapCut can encrypt drafts; export the captions as SRT and translate that file instead.

Only the on-screen text is sent to be translated. The draft and your media stay on your computer.

FAQ

Can CapCut translate captions? Yes, for speech. Auto captions in CapCut can make bilingual captions, with the spoken words and a translation. Text layers you typed yourself, such as titles and lower thirds, aren't translated that way.

Why can't CutConvert read my draft? Recent Windows versions of CapCut can encrypt drafts, and an encrypted draft can't be read. Export the captions from CapCut as SRT instead and translate that file.

Will my fonts work in other languages? CapCut uses its own default font for fonts it can't match, and READ-ME-FIRST.txt in the download says when a language is in a non-Latin script. Check Japanese, Arabic and Hindi lines in CapCut before you export.

Do I get a separate project for each language? No. You get one draft with one timeline per language, next to the original timeline.

How much does it cost? The first 10 items in one language preview free, on screen. One project costs $5 for one language, $9 for up to 3 or $15 for up to 10. Pro includes 10 translated projects a month with up to 5 languages each, and Studio includes 40 with up to 80.