DubbingMate
Watch Chinese YouTube videos with English audio
Chinese-language YouTube has reviews, news explainers, product walkthroughs, lectures and interviews that never get an English version. This guide is for people who want to follow those videos in English by ear, not for learning Chinese. It covers three ways to do it, and where each one falls short.
1. Free: YouTube’s auto-translated captions
- Open the video and click CC.
- Click Settings → Subtitles/CC → Auto-translate and choose English.
It costs nothing, but you have to read. Your eyes leave the picture, and fast lines can vanish before you finish them.
One Chinese-specific point: some videos carry captions in Simplified Chinese, some in Traditional, and some have only auto-generated ones. Open the CC menu and see what the video actually offers before you rely on it.
2. An audio track, if the video has one
Some videos offer extra audio tracks. Open Settings → Audio track and look for English. Many Chinese videos do not have one. If the menu is missing, see why the audio track option can be missing.
3. 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 keeps playing.
- Install DubbingMate and open a Chinese YouTube video that has captions.
- Press the dub button. DubbingMate takes the Chinese captions (auto-generated ones work), gets English text through YouTube’s auto-translation, and speaks it.
- Set the original and dubbing volumes separately.
Chinese is beta. In the Chrome extension’s language list, Chinese is marked beta, and English is the stable one. Expect rougher results with Chinese videos than with English ones, and check a short clip first.
Which Chinese videos suit this
| Video type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Lecture or talk | A single clear speaker with accurate captions works best. |
| Product review or unboxing | Good when the reviewer talks over the screen and captions exist. Product names may come out oddly. |
| News or explainer | Works when captions are present. Names of people and places are a common weak spot in automatic translation. |
| Interview or podcast | Several speakers share one voice, so it is harder to tell who is talking. |
| Music, drama clips | Not a good fit. The app reads captions aloud over the original sound. Watch only content you have the right to watch. |
| No captions at all | Cannot be dubbed by DubbingMate. |
Tips for better results
- Pick videos with captions made by the creator when you can. Auto-generated Chinese captions can mishear words, and the English translation then builds on the mistake.
- Lower the original volume instead of muting it, so you keep the tone of the speaker.
- Names, brands and slang are the usual trouble spots. If a line sounds odd, turn on the English captions and compare.
Limits
- Captions required. A video with no captions cannot be dubbed.
- Not a perfect translation. The English comes from YouTube’s automatic translation, so errors in the captions or the translation carry into the speech.
- 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.
If you tried it and it did not suit you, a license that has not been activated can be fully refunded at any time, and an activated one within 7 days of activation. See the refund policy.
FAQ
Is Chinese fully supported in DubbingMate?
In the Chrome extension's language list, Chinese is marked beta. English is the stable language. Expect rougher results with Chinese videos and try a short clip first.
Can I get English audio on a Chinese video with no captions?
Not with DubbingMate, which works from captions. Some videos have an auto-dubbed audio track, so check the Audio track menu.
Is the English translation perfect?
No. The English comes from YouTube's automatic translation of the Chinese captions, so mistakes in the captions or the translation carry through to the speech.
Do I need to pay to try it?
No. All features are free for 72 hours from your first dub; installing alone does not start the clock. After that it is a one-time purchase of $9.99.