How to Dub an English YouTube Video into Urdu
A lot of great content is only available in English. If your audience prefers Urdu, a dub lets them enjoy the same video in their own language. YouTube's own automatic dubbing does not offer Urdu, so creators who want an Urdu version have to make it themselves.
Step 1: Get the English lines
There are three ways to start. Paste a YouTube link and fetch its English subtitles for free, upload a subtitle file (.srt or .vtt), or paste a plain script. A link only works if the video has English subtitles on YouTube. If it does not, download or make an .srt file and upload that instead. For your own video, you can download the subtitles from YouTube Studio under Subtitles.
Using subtitles is better than a plain script, because every line keeps its start and end time. That timing is what lets the Urdu voice line up with the video.
Step 2: Translate and check every line
Choose Urdu (or Hindi) and a translation style:
- Natural dub: spoken, everyday wording that fits each line's time, so the voice keeps up with the video. This is the best choice for most dubs.
- Exact: every word and detail is kept, but lines can run longer than the video, so the voice may fall behind.
After translating, you see the English and Urdu side by side, line by line. Read through it and fix any word that sounds wrong. Pay special attention to names, brand names and technical terms. Empty lines are marked in red, because they would be silent in the dub.
Step 3: Pick a voice
Choose an Urdu voice and press play to hear it read your own translated lines before you spend anything. You can also choose Slow, Normal or Fast speed. If the video has more than one person talking, each speaker can get a different voice.
Step 4: Listen and download
Once the dub is made, you can download:
- The dub as a WAV file that follows the original video's timing, so you can place it at 0:00 in your editor.
- Urdu subtitles as an .srt file.
- A version of the voice without gaps, where the lines play one after another. This is useful when you just want a plain voiceover and do not need it to follow the video.
- A dubbed MP4: add your original video file and get it back with the Urdu voice. You can keep the original music and effects softly underneath, or turn them off.
What it costs
Getting subtitles is free, and so is making the final MP4. Translation costs 1 credit for every 4,000 characters (at least 1 credit). Voicing is charged by length, and the cost is shown before you start. If a dub stops halfway, the lines already voiced are saved, so pressing the button again only charges for the rest.
A note on rights
Only dub videos you own or have permission to use. Dubbing someone else's video and uploading it to your channel can lead to copyright claims.
You can try all of this in CIVE's Urdu Dub tool. Paste a link or upload your subtitles, check the Urdu, and download a dub that matches your video.