Spanish video to English without waiting for subtitles
Spanish is spoken fast, with accents from Madrid to Buenos Aires, and most creators only upload the audio. WatchTranslate writes each Spanish sentence in English across the bottom of the player, the Spanish kept just under it.
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Plenty of Spanish video, very little of it in English
Spanish-speaking creators make some of the biggest channels on YouTube, yet few add English. School Spanish rarely keeps up with real speed, slang and regional accents, and Auto-translate needs a caption track first.
- Classroom Spanish falls behind native speed
- Accents change from country to country
- Many uploads carry no captions to translate
- Each Spanish sentence arrives in English
- Check a word against the Spanish below
- No caption track required
Spanish to English on screen, step by step
Get the extension
WatchTranslate installs into Chrome or Edge on a computer in a few clicks.
Start the Spanish video
No account on the video site is required. The WT button sits in the player's control bar.
WTSo they took this data from Deutsche TelekomSet English and switch on
In WT choose English as Target language and Audio recognition as Subtitle source, then turn translation on. Source language can remain on Auto-detect, as it did here.
A Madrid talk, sentence by sentence
Journalist Marta Peirano at TEDxMadrid, explaining how a politician's phone records became a map of his life. Seven lines from our recording, unedited.
| Second | Spanish (audio) | English (subtitle) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 s | con un Excel de 30.832 líneas, como Guerra y Paz, pero tres veces. | with an Excel file of 30,832 lines, like War and Peace, but three times over. |
| 7 s | Este documento interminable comprende desde septiembre de 2009 hasta febrero de 2010. | This endless document covers from September 2009 to February 2010. |
| 12 s | Tiene exactamente 6 meses y no es casual, tiene 6 meses porque en verano de 2008 | It is exactly 6 months and it is not a coincidence, it is 6 months because in the summer of 2008 |
| 18 s | la Unión Europea presentó la directiva de retención de datos, | the European Union presented the data retention directive, |
| 26 s | sus clientes durante un mínimo de seis meses y un máximo de dos años. | its customers for a minimum of six months and a maximum of two years. |
| 41 s | que a su vez contactó con una agencia de visualización de datos para hacer algo con esto. | which in turn contacted a data visualization agency to do something with this. |
| 45 s | Entonces, ellos cogieron estos datos de Deutsche Telekom | So they took this data from Deutsche Telekom |
Seconds count from when we started recording, after the first English line. Lines missing between the rows were spoken too; the table keeps seven of the nine we recorded.
What helps with Spanish
Listens, does not need captions
Recognition runs on the Spanish speech, so a podcast clip or vlog with no captions still gets English.
Spanish and English stacked
Practising your Spanish? Compare each English line with the words that were actually said.
No need to name the language
We never touched Source language in this test; it stayed on Auto-detect and the talk was handled as Spanish.
Long replays and matches
Translate all subtitles in advance gets a full recorded match commentary or a long interview ready ahead of where you are.
Take the subtitles with you
SRT or VTT from the Export tab, for flashcards or another player.
Spanish captions work too
Where a creator uploaded Spanish captions, translate those and keep their timing.
Spanish videos you can follow in English
Latin American YouTubers
Mexican, Argentine and Colombian creators: vlogs, reactions, cooking.
News and documentaries
Reports and interviews from Spanish and Latin American broadcasters' channels.
Football
LaLiga press conferences and post-match shows in fast Spanish.
Talks and debates
TEDx and university lectures, like the Madrid talk in our test.
Telenovela clips
Scenes and recaps posted by channels before any English version exists.
Learning Spanish
Real conversations at full speed, the English meaning one line above.
What YouTube gives a Spanish video, and what we add
Spanish videos on YouTube fall into three groups. Use the player's own English when it has one.
| The Spanish video | In YouTube's captions menu | With WatchTranslate |
|---|---|---|
| Creator uploaded English subtitles | English is listed; pick it | Nothing needed from us |
| Only Spanish or auto-generated Spanish captions | Auto-translate offers English as a single caption line | English with the Spanish beneath; or recognition from the audio if the auto captions are rough |
| No captions of any kind | The captions button has nothing to show | English from the speech, the way this page's test ran |
Based on the youtube.com web player, signed out, as checked on November 9, 2026. YouTube may change its menus; check the live page.
How we tested Spanish
Published extension on a computer, signed out of YouTube: the TEDxMadrid talk from the one-minute point, English as target, WT switched on.
- Works
TEDxMadrid talk in Spanish · English subtitles
Nine English lines over 45 seconds of playback, each one shown with the Spanish it translates.
- Works
Spanish recognized without setup
Source language was left on Auto-detect and the speech was taken as Spanish.
Tested November 12, 2026 · extension 0.5.782 · Chrome · signed out of YouTube
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Spanish video to English: questions
How can I translate a Spanish video into English while it plays?
Add WatchTranslate to Chrome or Edge, open the video, click WT, choose English as Target language and switch it on. English appears under the picture as people speak.
What if the Spanish video has no captions?
Choose Audio recognition as Subtitle source. It works from the voice itself, which is how the TEDxMadrid test above was run.
Does it handle Latin American and Spain Spanish?
Recognition works on spoken Spanish, not on one country's variety. The speaker in our test is from Spain.
Can I show the Spanish and the English at the same time?
Yes, that is the default: English on top, Spanish underneath. Appearance lets you show English only.
Is it good for learning Spanish?
It shows the Spanish line under the English, so you can listen, read the original and check the meaning. Export the subtitles for review.
Which sites work?
YouTube and many other video sites. If a player has no WT button, start translation from the extension's toolbar icon.
Do I need to log in to YouTube?
No. We ran the test while signed out.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, through the WatchTranslate app for Android and iPhone. On a computer, use the Chrome or Edge extension.
How many minutes are free?
20 minutes, with no card. After that, plans are on the pricing page.
YouTube is a trademark of Google LLC and TEDx of TED Conferences LLC. WatchTranslate is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.