How to Translate a Video in Real Time (Any Language, Any App)
You found a video in a language you do not speak. Maybe it is a Japanese tutorial, a Spanish documentary, or a French interview. Here is how to translate it in real time on your desktop without uploading, waiting, or installing browser extensions.
Why most video translation methods are slow
The traditional way to translate a video involves downloading it, uploading it to a translation service, waiting for processing, and then watching the result. Some services charge per minute. Others require you to paste in an SRT file and manually sync the timing. None of this works for live streams or content you are watching right now.
Browser extensions that translate YouTube captions only work on YouTube, and they rely on auto-generated captions that are often wrong. If the video does not have captions at all, these extensions do nothing. You need a tool that works at the audio level, not the caption level.
How to translate any video instantly with Seagull
Step 1: Download Seagull for Mac, Windows, or Linux. Step 2: Play your video in any app, whether that is YouTube in Chrome, Netflix, VLC, or a local file. Step 3: Open Seagull, select the spoken language and your target language, and press Start. Translated subtitles appear as a floating overlay on your screen within seconds.
That is it. Seagull captures the audio directly from your desktop, so it works with every video app and every website. There is no uploading, no waiting, and no dependency on the video having existing captions. It translates the audio itself, not someone else's broken auto-captions.
What videos can Seagull translate?
Anything that plays audio on your computer. YouTube videos, Netflix shows, Amazon Prime movies, Twitch streams, local MP4 files, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Bilibili, NicoNico, educational platforms like Coursera and edX, and any other video source. If you can hear it, Seagull can translate it.
Seagull supports 60+ languages including Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Thai, Vietnamese, Russian, Italian, Turkish, Indonesian, and many more. Both common and less common language pairs are supported.
How to Get Started
Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. The app installs in seconds and requires no configuration.
Choose the language being spoken and the language you want to see. Seagull supports 40+ languages out of the box.
Seagull will transcribe and translate audio from any app in real time. Captions appear in a small overlay on your screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I translate a video without downloading it?
Yes. Seagull captures audio in real time from your desktop. Just play the video in your browser or any app, and Seagull translates the audio into subtitles on screen. No downloading or uploading required.
Does Seagull work with videos that have no subtitles?
Yes. Seagull translates the audio directly, not existing subtitles or captions. It works perfectly with videos that have no subtitles at all.
How much does it cost to translate a video with Seagull?
Seagull offers a free 1-hour trial. After that, plans start at $2.99 per week for unlimited translation. There are no per-minute or per-video charges.
Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. 1 hour free trial included.