How to Translate Audio to Another Language in Real Time
Someone is speaking a language you do not understand, and you need to know what they are saying right now. Not later, not after uploading a file. Right now. Here is how to translate audio from any language to yours in real time.
Real-time audio translation explained
Real-time audio translation works by listening to spoken audio, recognizing the language and words being spoken, and then translating that speech into text in a different language. The result appears as subtitles on your screen within seconds of the speaker finishing a sentence. It is the technology that makes it possible to understand a foreign language conversation as it happens.
This is different from text translation (like Google Translate for typed text), different from transcription (which converts speech to text in the same language), and different from dubbing (which replaces the original audio with spoken translations). Real-time audio translation gives you readable subtitles in your language while the original audio keeps playing.
How Seagull translates audio in real time
Seagull captures audio from your computer's sound output. This means it works with any app: video calls on Zoom, videos on YouTube, podcasts on Spotify, movies on Netflix, or even a microphone picking up someone speaking in the same room. The audio is processed through speech recognition to identify the words, then translated into your chosen target language.
The translated text appears as a floating subtitle overlay on your screen. Seagull supports over 60 languages, including Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Thai, Vietnamese, Russian, Italian, Turkish, and Indonesian.
Common use cases for real-time audio translation
Meetings with colleagues who speak different languages. Foreign language YouTube videos and tutorials. Anime, K-dramas, and C-dramas without subtitles. Podcasts in languages you are learning. Lectures from international universities. Video calls with family abroad. Live streams from creators around the world. Conference talks and webinars in other languages.
In all of these cases, the audio is happening in real time and you cannot wait for someone to translate it later. Seagull fills this gap by turning spoken audio into readable subtitles in your language, instantly, on your desktop.
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
How do I translate audio from Japanese to English in real time?
Open Seagull, set the source language to Japanese and the target language to English. Play any audio containing Japanese speech on your desktop. Translated English subtitles appear as a floating overlay within seconds.
Can Seagull translate audio from my microphone?
Yes. Seagull can capture audio from your microphone for face-to-face translation using Conversation Mode. For system audio (videos, calls, streams), it captures directly from your desktop sound output.
What is the difference between translation and transcription?
Transcription converts speech to text in the same language. Translation converts speech to text in a different language. Seagull is a translation tool that helps you understand audio in languages you do not speak.
Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. 1 hour free trial included.