How to Translate Bilibili in Real Time

You open Bilibili to watch a live stream or a creator you love, but the audio is in Mandarin and you don't speak it fluently. Seagull solves this by capturing Bilibili's audio and translating it in real time, with subtitles that float above the video so you never miss what's being said.

Installing Seagull and Granting System Audio Access

Start by downloading Seagull for your operating system from the official website. Windows and Mac users should run the installer and follow the setup wizard, while Linux users can install via the command line package manager. After installation, Seagull will request permission to capture system audio, which is essential for picking up sound from your browser or Bilibili's desktop client.

Grant Seagull microphone and audio capture permissions when prompted. On Mac, you may need to go to System Preferences, Security and Privacy, and add Seagull to the list of apps allowed to capture audio. Windows users should see a one-time dialog requesting permission; click allow and restart Seagull if needed. Without these permissions, Seagull cannot hear Bilibili's audio and the translation will not work.

Configuring Language Selection and Subtitle Placement

Open Seagull and navigate to the settings menu to select your source language as Mandarin or another language you expect from Bilibili creators. Then choose your target language, whether that is English, Spanish, French, or any of the 60+ languages Seagull supports. The floating subtitle window will appear on top of your Bilibili video by default, but you can drag and resize it to fit your screen layout and viewing preference.

Test the setup by playing a Bilibili video with clear audio and watching for translated subtitles to appear within a second or two. If subtitles are delayed or missing, check that Seagull's input device is set to your system audio output rather than a microphone. You can also increase the font size in Seagull's subtitle settings if you are sitting far from your monitor or watching on a smaller screen.

Common Pitfalls and Troubleshooting for Bilibili Streams

One frequent issue is Bilibili's auto-play and volume controls overriding Seagull's audio capture. Keep Bilibili in focus while playing a video, and avoid muting the video itself, as this prevents Seagull from hearing anything to translate. If you are using multiple tabs, make sure the Bilibili tab is the active one and that no other audio sources are playing simultaneously, which can confuse Seagull's detection.

For live streams, network latency can sometimes cause a slight delay between what the streamer says and when the subtitle appears. This is normal and expected with real-time translation. If Seagull is not picking up audio at all, restart both Seagull and your browser, then check that system audio permissions have not been revoked. If problems persist, reinstall Seagull and repeat the permission grants to reset the audio pipeline.

How to Get Started