DubbingMate
Learn from foreign-language YouTube tutorials in English
Many useful step-by-step tutorials on YouTube are made in other languages: a coding walkthrough from a developer in Brazil, a repair video from Germany, a recipe from Japan. The trouble is that you are usually doing the task while you watch, and reading subtitles pulls your eyes off your hands. This guide is about following those tutorials by ear.
It is different from learning a foreign language, and also from a lecture, where you mostly sit and listen. A tutorial is something you do along with the video, so what matters is keeping your eyes on the work.
1. Free: YouTube’s auto-translated captions
- Turn on CC and open Settings → Subtitles/CC → Auto-translate.
- Choose English.
It is free and immediate, and for a tutorial you can pause at each step. The cost is that you keep looking back and forth between the screen and your work. Translated captions are text only, with no voice.
2. Listening with DubbingMate
DubbingMate is a desktop app for Windows and Mac, and it also has a Chrome extension. It reads a video’s captions aloud in English while the video plays, so you can keep your eyes on the editor, the pan or the part you are fixing.
- Install DubbingMate and open the tutorial on YouTube. It needs captions, and auto-generated ones work.
- Press the dub button. It takes the captions, gets English text through YouTube’s auto-translation, and speaks it.
- Set the original and dubbing volumes separately.
Why tutorials tend to work well
Tutorials often have one speaker, steady pacing and clear sound, and that tends to make for cleaner captions. Cleaner captions mean a better translation, though this is a tendency, not a promise. The results still depend on the video.
Which tutorials suit it
| Tutorial type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Coding walkthrough | Listening lets you keep your eyes on the editor. Code is on screen and is not translated, so copy from what you see. |
| Cooking | Hands and eyes are busy, so listening helps. Check quantities and times on screen or in the description. |
| Repair or DIY | Good for step order. Part names and sizes are a weak spot of automatic translation, so confirm them visually. |
| Software or design demo | Menu names in the speaker’s language may not match your interface, so follow the cursor as well as the voice. |
| No captions at all | Cannot be dubbed by DubbingMate. |
Tips for following along
- Work in steps. Pause at the end of each step, do it, then resume. Listening does not change the fact that you control the pace.
- Keep the screen in view. Code, menus and ingredient lists are shown on screen, so the picture still carries most of the information.
- Check names and numbers on screen. Commands, file names, quantities and part numbers matter in a tutorial. Trust what you see over what you hear.
- Lower, don’t mute, the original. The speaker’s tone helps you tell where one step ends and the next begins.
- Test with a short clip first. A minute or two shows you whether the captions on that channel are good enough.
What it cannot do
- Code and on-screen text are not translated. DubbingMate reads captions, not the picture. Text in a terminal, a slide or a label stays as it is.
- Technical terms can go wrong. YouTube itself says specialist terms and proper names are hard for automatic dubbing, and the same applies to automatic translation of captions. Commands and function names may be read oddly.
- Captions required. A tutorial with no captions cannot be dubbed.
- First run. The app downloads its voice model (about 400 MB) once, the first time you use it, which can take a few minutes depending on your connection. After that, dubbing starts right away.
- YouTube only. The Windows installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows may show a warning.
Trial and price
Everything is free for 72 hours counted from your first dub. Installing alone does not start the clock, and you do not enter payment details. After that it is a one-time purchase of $9.99 with no subscription, for up to 3 devices. See the pricing section for the current price.
FAQ
Does DubbingMate translate the code or text shown on screen?
No. It reads the video's captions aloud and does not read the picture. Text in a terminal, slide or label stays in the original language.
Will it get technical terms right?
Not always. Commands, function names and proper names can be translated or read oddly, so check what is on screen.
Does it work on a tutorial with no captions?
No. DubbingMate works from captions, including auto-generated ones. A video with none cannot be dubbed.
Do I need to pay to try it?
No. All features are free for 72 hours from your first dub, with no card. After that it is a one-time purchase of $9.99.