The practical guide · 01

Generate translated subtitles from your video

A tutorial, product demonstration or interview can be useful beyond its original language. XoloLingua turns speech in an MP4 into translated subtitles that you download as an SRT file. The video and subtitle track remain separate: this workflow does not burn text into the picture.

Translation, not a same-language transcript

The target language must be different from the source language. There is no monolingual export in this workflow. If you need captions in the language spoken in the recording, choose another tool designed for that task.

Start with a representative clip

Choose a short MP4 with clearly audible speech. Listen to a passage containing names or specialist vocabulary so you have a useful reference for your review. Loud music, overlapping speakers and distant microphones can make recognition less accurate; those mistakes may then carry through into the translation.

The limit is 1 hour and 400 MiB per video. Meeting those limits does not guarantee that every device can finish the job. Testing a short extract first helps you check the workflow before committing to a full lesson or a lengthy recording.

From MP4 to translated SRT

Select your MP4. Open the studio and choose a local video. Use the preview to confirm that it is the right version, with the same opening and edits as the video you intend to share.
Identify the source language. Run language identification, then correct the selection if it is wrong. Do not let an incorrect language guess become the basis of the transcription.
Choose a different target language. Use a pair offered by the studio. The selected pair and available models determine whether processing can proceed; do not assume every possible combination is supported.
Run audio segmentation. Wait for that stage to finish before generating subtitles. Segmentation prepares the portions of audio used by the subsequent processing stages.
Generate and download. Follow the transcription and translation progress, then download the resulting SRT. Keep it alongside the exact MP4 version used to create it, rather than a later edit.

Review meaning as well as timing

Proofread the result against the recording. A misheard number, missing negative or incorrect name can change the meaning even when the translated sentence sounds fluent. If you do not know the target language, ask someone who does to review it, particularly for training material or sensitive instructions.

Load the subtitle track in an SRT-compatible player. Check the beginning, middle and end, then revisit fast dialogue. Look for lines that are difficult to read, awkward sentence breaks and cues that linger after the topic changes. If you trim the video afterwards, the subtitle timing may need attention too.

Local processing, with practical limits

In the studio, video and audio are processed locally in your browser; models are downloaded from remote services on demand. This is not a promise of fully offline operation. Compatibility depends on your browser, available memory and device capabilities. Not all languages or language pairs are supported, and there is no guaranteed processing time.

Existing SRT import is not supported. There is no built-in editor for corrections, no YouTube URL ingestion and no automatic publishing. Keep your original file and use an external tool when the subtitles need changes. A successful download is the start of your review, not a guarantee that the translation is ready for an audience.

Your video, another language

The studio is in English. Have your original MP4 ready before you begin.

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