Video subtitles
Read original subtitles and translations together on YouTube and X, or show just one language.
The open subtitle menu stays available when X hides its playback controls. Switches, display modes, and AI subtitle status update as you use them. Click outside the menu or press Esc to close it.
A video with subtitles
- Make sure video subtitle translation is enabled.
- Open a YouTube or X video and find the FluentRead icon at the right end of the player controls.
- Choose bilingual, translation-only, or original-only display.
FluentRead uses subtitle tracks or subtitle text provided by the page. It cannot guarantee translations where no subtitles are available. The subtitle translation service is independent of the webpage service.
The subtitle menu also works in YouTube fullscreen. Bilingual subtitles share one panel. Previous translations clear when captions change, disappear, or you seek. If a translation is still loading, the original appears first; the translation is added only while its caption is still current.
For YouTube rolling captions, FluentRead matches the newly appearing sentence and playback time to prefetched translations without waiting for the previous line to scroll away. When no subtitle timeline is available, it also submits text during continuous updates. Translation speed still depends on the selected service.
To correct captions that are late or early, open Subtitle timing in the FluentRead menu on the playback page and click 0.5 s earlier / 0.5 s later. Negative values advance subtitles; positive values delay them, up to ±10 seconds. Reset timing returns to zero. The setting is saved for subsequent videos and moves both subtitle lines together. Playback position and downloaded subtitle timestamps stay unchanged. The menu indicates when timing adjustment is unavailable.
An X video without subtitles
The desktop Chrome / Edge extension can try local AI transcription:
- Download the Tiny or Base speech model in video settings. Initial downloads are about 100 MB and 150 MB respectively; extra runtime files may be needed later.
- Return to the X player and choose to generate AI subtitles.
- Wait for recognition and translation. You can stop the job.
Audio recognition runs locally; recognized subtitle text still goes to your translation service. Model downloads require a network connection. Processing depends on video length and your computer. Videos up to 20 minutes are supported; some formats or restricted media cannot be read.
Display and download
Adjust subtitle size, background, position, and width in video appearance settings. X subtitles stay within the video picture, with long lines wrapping inside portrait videos. Their position updates when the player resizes or enters fullscreen, and they try to avoid visible playback controls.
Use the menu to show or hide subtitles and download them. Completed X transcripts are cached locally for a limited time, so reopening the same video usually avoids another transcription. Cached subtitles appear immediately while translations become available, and the cache count refreshes when you return to video settings. Use re-recognition or clear the video cache to start fresh.
Missing or inaccurate subtitles
Check that subtitles are enabled and the video has a native track. For X AI subtitles, confirm the model download and try specifying the spoken language.
Recognition can mishear names or background audio, and translations can be wrong. Check important details against the original subtitles and audio.