Your best video did well in your language. Half the comments under it ask for a version in Spanish, or Portuguese, or German. Subtitles are a start, but people scrolling short video often watch with the sound on and don't read, so the reach you want is in the audio. That means dubbing: the same video, with the voice speaking another language.
What does dubbing a video involve?
Dubbing replaces the spoken words of a video with the same words in another language. Everything else stays: the picture, the music, the background sound, the timing of the cuts. It's different from two cheaper things people often mean by "translating a video":
| Approach | What changes | Viewer has to |
|---|---|---|
| Subtitles | Text on screen | Read |
| Voiceover | A new voice laid over a quieter original | Hear two voices at once |
| Dubbing | The original voice is replaced | Just watch |
Subtitles are covered in translating reels. This post is about the full replacement.
How do you dub a video by hand?
The manual route is the one studios used before AI, and it's worth knowing even if you'll use a tool, because every tool runs the same steps.
- Transcribe the original. Write down every line with its start and end time. Auto-captions give you a first draft; fix the mistakes.
- Translate, then adapt. A literal translation is usually longer or shorter than the original line. Rewrite each line so it says the same thing in about the same time. Spanish and German often run longer than English, so lines get trimmed.
- Record the new voice. Yourself if you speak the language, a voice actor if you don't, or an AI voice from the adapted script.
- Separate the original voice from the rest. If the video has music or background sound, you need a version without the voice, either from the original project files or from a stem-separation tool. Without it, the old voice bleeds under the new one.
- Place and mix. Line each new sentence up with the speaker on screen, then balance it against the music.
- Add captions in the new language for people watching on mute. Reel captions and subtitles covers how to make them readable.
For a one-minute reel with a single speaker, expect an afternoon the first time. For a 20-minute talk with two speakers, it's days.
What's the fastest way to dub a video with AI?
AI dubbing tools run those six steps in one job: they transcribe, translate, generate the voice, remove the original speech and mix the new voice back with the music. The differences between tools are in three places:
- Whose voice you hear. Basic tools use a stock voice. Better ones keep the speaker's own voice in the new language, which matters a lot when your face and voice are the brand.
- What happens to the music and background. Some tools rebuild only the speech and keep the original sound bed; others leave you with voice alone.
- Multiple speakers. An interview or podcast needs each person to keep their own voice, not one narrator for everyone.
Whatever you use, have a native speaker watch the result once before you post. AI translation gets the gist right far more often than it gets idioms, product names and jokes right.
Which videos are worth dubbing?
Dubbing every video into every language is rarely the best use of time. Start with:
- Videos that already worked. A proven reel has a better chance in a new market than an untested one.
- Talking videos. Tutorials, explainers, founder updates, product demos. If the voice carries the meaning, dubbing carries the reach.
- Evergreen content. A guide that stays true for a year earns more from a second language than news that's old next week.
Skip videos where the words are mostly on screen or the music does the work. Those need translated captions, not a dub. Faceless reels are a good example: translating the text is enough.
Where do you publish the dubbed version?
| Platform | How dubbed versions usually go out |
|---|---|
| YouTube | Extra audio tracks on the same video, where your channel has the multi-language audio option; otherwise a separate upload |
| Instagram and TikTok | A separate post, often on a second account for that language |
| Your site or course | A language switch, or separate pages per language |
A separate account per language is more work but keeps each audience's feed in one language, which tends to help the algorithm decide who to show it to. Cross-posting reels, TikToks and Shorts covers the format side.
How do you dub a video in Easy Reels?
Easy Reels has a Dubbing page for exactly this. Pick a video from your library, up to 30 minutes long, and choose one of 32 languages. The dub keeps each speaker's own voice and the music and background sound. It lands back in your library next to the original, ready to cut into reels or post as it is.
Dubbing counts minutes of video, not reels: 20 minutes a month on Pro ($29 a month) and 60 minutes on Ultra ($49 a month). If the original is a long talk or podcast, Long to short can then turn the dubbed version into captioned vertical clips. Every account starts free for 7 days, then from $29 a month, with nothing charged during the trial. Start the free trial with a video you already have.
Common questions
Can I dub a video for free?
Yes, if you do it by hand: transcribe, translate, record your own voice in a free editor and mix it over a version without the original speech. It costs time rather than money. Most AI dubbing tools charge by the minute of video.
Can AI dub a video in my own voice?
Some AI dubbing tools can. They learn the voice from the original audio and speak the translation in it, so viewers hear you, not a stock narrator. Check whether the tool supports it before you pay, and listen to the result in full.
How long does it take to dub a video?
By hand, plan on several hours for each minute of finished video once you count translation, recording and mixing. An AI dub of a short video takes minutes, plus the time for a native speaker to check it.
Is dubbing better than subtitles?
For short video watched with sound on, usually yes: viewers don't have to read and look at the picture at once. Subtitles are cheaper and still worth adding to the dubbed version for people watching on mute.
Do I need permission to dub someone else's video?
Yes. Dubbing makes a new version of the work, so you need the rights holder's permission, and voice cloning of another person needs their consent. Dub videos you made or have the rights to.