Guide

How to translate a TikTok video

Updated 2026-11-11

A TikTok video is usually short, vertical, and meant to be understood with the sound off. Translate it from the file you export, keep that tall frame, and put the new language in the picture.

Start from the file, not from a link

Export the TikTok video to your camera roll or your computer. VidDub uploads a file you have the right to use. The picture, the cuts, and the on-screen stickers you already baked in stay as they are. The speech is what gets translated.

Short is an advantage. Videos are within 10 minutes, and a TikTok is often well under that. One idea, one language, one finished file. If you want a second language, that is a second upload, with its own preview.

Protect the frame

Vertical video leaves a narrow column for words. Watch the preview and see where the line sits. A face in the center and a caption near the bottom is the usual layout. Bilingual subtitles use two lines, so check that both are on screen.

Film you already posted can still be translated if you have the file and the right to use it. The finished video is a new file you upload to TikTok yourself. VidDub returns the video. You choose the account, the caption, and the time you post.

Match the language to the caption you will type

The subtitle language and the caption you type on TikTok should be the same language. A Spanish line in the picture and an English caption feel like two videos. Write the caption after you have read the preview, and use the words you just approved. If a friend will post it for you, send the downloaded file and the caption in the same note.

Keep the original export as well. The translated file is a new video, and the 24-hour window applies to the finished file on VidDub. Your camera-roll export is the master. From that master you can make the next language next week, with a fresh preview, and a fresh check of the joke that may need a plainer wording.

Sign in, pick a language, preview

Open viddubapp.com or the iOS or Android app and sign in. Google, Apple, and email all work on the website. Choose the target language. VidDub writes synced subtitles into the picture. Add a catalog voice if you want the translation spoken. Basic dubbing is free on the full video.

The free preview after sign-in is enough to catch a name or a price. The full download uses minutes. Packs start at $3.90. Under a minute still counts as one minute, which matters for a 20-second clip. Finished files stay for about 24 hours.

Before you post the new cut

The line is inside the frame, including on a phone.
The first words match the first thing you say.
The product name is the one you sell.
The voice, if any, is a catalog voice timed to you.
You still have the original file.
The caption you will type is in the same language as the subtitles.
You downloaded the file the day it was ready.
You have the right to post this video.

Put it back on TikTok

Upload the finished file the way you upload any other video. The subtitles travel with the picture. Viewers who watch muted still get the translation. Viewers who listen hear your original audio, or the catalog voice if you added it.

Spanish, Portuguese, and Thai are common next languages for a short clip, and each of those pairs has a guide on the English site. Treat each language as its own video, with its own preview, so a joke that works in one language can be checked before you post the next.

A worked example: a 40-second shop tour. You save the file from your phone, upload it, and pick Portuguese. The preview keeps the vertical shelves. The price on screen in the subtitle matches the price you said. You download the full video, post it, and leave the original file untouched for a Spanish version later in the week. Under a minute still counts as one minute on the full download.

Related translations

Questions

Will it stay vertical?

Yes. The picture stays as you uploaded it.

Can I translate a link?

Upload the video file you exported.

What about a very short clip?

Under a minute counts as one minute when you download the full video.

Is there a free preview?

Yes, after sign-in.

Which pair should I open next?

English to Spanish is a good start. The languages page lists the rest.