Translate YouTube Subtitles with Chrome Live Caption, No Extension

This YouTube video has no subtitles, so I can't translate it!

You want to watch an English YouTube video with Japanese subtitles, but the subtitles don't appear or can't be translated. Has that ever happened to you?

Actually, with Google Chrome's "Live Caption" and "Live Translate" features, you can translate videos automatically without adding any extension.

This works not only for YouTube videos that have no subtitles available, but also for videos on sites other than YouTube.

Setup takes just 3 steps.

It only takes about 30 seconds.

In this article, we explain how to translate videos with Chrome's Live Caption feature in an easy-to-follow way, with screenshots.

We have also put together solutions for when subtitles don't appear or can't be translated, so use them as a reference whenever you run into trouble.

What Is YouTube's Subtitle Translation Feature? How Auto-Generated Subtitles and Auto-Translate Work

Before explaining Chrome's features, let's take a quick look at YouTube's built-in subtitle features.

How to Use YouTube's Subtitle Feature

YouTube has a subtitle feature and a translation feature.

The subtitle feature displays subtitles on a video.

You can turn them on by clicking "Subtitles/closed captions" at the bottom right of the video.

YouTube Has Manual Subtitles and Auto-Generated Subtitles

There are two types of subtitles on YouTube.

• Subtitles set up manually by the video creator
• Subtitles generated automatically by AI recognizing the audio

Because manual subtitles take a lot of effort to set up, most videos across YouTube as a whole use auto-generated subtitles created by AI.

How to Translate Subtitles into Japanese with YouTube's Auto-Translate Feature

On YouTube, you can automatically translate a video's subtitles into other languages.

Both manual and auto-generated subtitles can be translated.

How to Use YouTube's Auto-Translate

With subtitles displayed, click Settings (the gear icon) at the bottom right of the video.

From the menu that appears, click "Subtitles/CC".

From the menu that appears after clicking "Subtitles/CC", click "Auto-translate".

From the menu that appears after clicking "Auto-translate", select the language you want to translate into.

In this example, Japanese is selected.

*In some cases, the target language may be selected automatically based on the language you use.

That's it: YouTube's subtitles are now automatically translated into Japanese.

Some YouTube Videos Show No Subtitles or Can't Be Translated

However, there are also many videos on YouTube that cannot display auto-generated subtitles.

For example, the video in this image was uploaded by YouTube's own official channel, yet subtitles are not available for it.

Since there are no original subtitles, they can't be auto-translated either.

There are two main reasons why auto-generated subtitles may not be available.

Reason 1: The Video Creator Hasn't Set Up Subtitles

To generate auto subtitles for a YouTube video, the video creator needs to set

• the video language
• permission for auto-generated subtitles

in the video settings.

Videos without these settings will not display auto-generated subtitles.

Reason 2: Older Videos Without Subtitle Settings

Older videos posted before YouTube introduced its auto-subtitle feature may not have the settings needed for auto-generated subtitles.

If the video creator configures the settings later, auto-generated subtitles can be displayed even on older videos.

In That Case, Google Chrome's Live Caption Feature Is the Solution

Videos without auto-generated subtitles can't have their subtitles translated, which makes it hard to understand videos in English or other foreign languages.

In such cases, we recommend using Google Chrome's Live Caption feature!

Chrome recognizes the video's audio, generates subtitles automatically, and translates them into Japanese with Live Translate.

What's more, this is a built-in Chrome feature, so there's no need to install an extension.

A big advantage is that it works even on YouTube videos without subtitles, as well as on video sites other than YouTube.

How to Translate Videos into Japanese with Chrome's Live Caption and Live Translate (5 Steps)

How do I use Google Chrome's Live Caption feature?

Here we explain, with screenshots, how to use Google Chrome's Live Caption to translate videos into Japanese in real time.

What you need: Google Chrome for desktop (Windows / Mac)
Supported languages: Supports more than 20 languages, including English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French, and Spanish. Translation targets can be chosen from more than 100 languages
Price: Free (no extension needed, built-in Chrome feature)

1. Open Chrome's Settings

At the top right of Google Chrome, click "⋮" (the three vertical dots).

Near the bottom of the menu that opens, click "Settings".

2. Open "Accessibility"

From the menu on the left side of Google Chrome's Settings screen, click "Accessibility".

The "Accessibility" settings are now open.

3. Turn ON "Live Caption"

Turn ON "Live Caption" at the very top of "Accessibility".

The download of the speech recognition files will then begin.

(The files being downloaded at this point are for recognizing English speech.)

When the message "Speech files downloaded" appears, the download of the English speech recognition files is complete.

You can now use live captions for English videos in Google Chrome.

How to Add Languages Other Than English

If you want to translate videos in languages other than English (such as Korean, Chinese, or French), click "Add languages" and download the languages you need.

Select the language you want to add and click "Add", and the speech recognition files will be downloaded just like for English.

4. Turn ON "Live Translate"

Next, turn ON "Live Translate", located below "Live Caption".

When you first turn it on, the target language is set to English, so select Japanese from the "Translate captions to" menu.

5. Play a Video on a Video Site

That completes the setup. Now, when you play a video on YouTube or another site, Japanese subtitles will be displayed automatically.

As an example, let's open a video that can't use YouTube's auto-generated subtitles.

As you can see, translated subtitles appear on the Chrome browser screen.

Because the "Live Translate" feature is turned on, the video's English audio is automatically translated into Japanese and displayed.

You can also drag the caption window with your mouse to adjust its position.

Translation Also Works on Video Sites Other Than YouTube

Chrome's Live Caption and Live Translate features can also be used on video sites other than YouTube.

For example, in this image a video is playing on the website of the UK's BBC, and auto-translated Japanese subtitles are displayed just like on YouTube.

Whether it's an overseas news site or a video on social media, you can use live captions and translation on any site, as long as the video can be played in the Chrome browser.

What to Do When Subtitles Don't Appear or Can't Be Translated

We've summarized cases where Chrome's Live Caption feature or YouTube's translation feature doesn't work properly, along with how to fix them.

When Chrome's Live Captions Don't Appear

When YouTube's Subtitle Translation Doesn't Work Properly

Do You Need a Chrome Extension? How It Differs from the Built-in Feature

As of 2026, you can add automatic subtitles to YouTube videos and translate them into Japanese using only Chrome's built-in features, without any extension.

Extensions also have drawbacks like the following, so we recommend trying Chrome's built-in feature first.

• Security risks: Unknown extensions may access your browsing data
• Unstable operation: They may stop working after Chrome or YouTube updates
• Ads: Free extensions may display ads

Chrome's built-in Live Caption feature is an official Google feature, so it is highly secure and its compatibility is guaranteed when updates are released.

Another reason we recommend it is that it also works on video sites other than YouTube, making it more versatile than installing an extension.

[Free] How to Add Higher-Quality Subtitles to YouTube Videos

I want to add subtitles to the videos I make myself, too!

The methods explained so far are for displaying translated subtitles when "watching" a video.

But if you want to add accurate subtitles to videos you post on YouTube yourself, there's an even more convenient way!

We recommend creating subtitles with an AI transcription service.

You can add subtitles of higher quality than YouTube's standard auto-generated subtitles or Chrome's Live Translate.

Real-time speech recognition is inevitably prone to recognition errors, but with a method that uploads and processes the file, highly accurate transcription that takes context into account is possible.

For Video Transcription and Subtitle Creation, Try Mr. Transcription

Mr. Transcription is a web service that transcribes videos with high accuracy using the latest AI.

Just upload a video file to transcribe its content, and you can also export subtitle files in SRT format that can be uploaded to YouTube.

Of course, they can also be used in video editing software such as Adobe Premiere and DaVinci Resolve.

What's more, with Mr. Transcription's latest AI transcription engine, even long videos can be transcribed in about 1 minute.

Mr. Transcription is free for up to 3 minutes per day without registration, and free for up to 10 minutes per day if you sign up as a member.

Why not start by trying Mr. Transcription to create subtitles for your videos?

Chrome's automatic translation is easy to use, but it has limits when it comes to translation quality and nuanced expressions.

When you want to watch foreign-language YouTube videos with more accurate Japanese subtitles, we recommend translating them into Japanese using a transcription site and a generative AI service.

Be sure to check out this article.

[Free] The Definitive Guide to Translating Videos! For Saved Videos and YouTube Alike, We Recommend Translating with "Transcription & Generative AI"

Explains how to translate videos for free. Shows, with screenshots, how to create an SRT file with an AI transcription app and translate it with Gemini or ChatGPT. Even saved videos and videos in your camera roll can be handled entirely on an iPhone. Watch English videos in Japanese with higher accuracy than YouTube's auto-translate...

If you want to add subtitles to videos you have posted on YouTube yourself, this article explains how to create a subtitle file with Mr. Transcription and set it on your YouTube video.

[For YouTube Creators] How to Add Subtitles and Transcripts to Your Videos

Explains how to add subtitles and transcripts to your own videos posted on YouTube. Just upload a video to create an SRT file of higher quality than YouTube's auto-generated subtitles, right in your browser. How to add Japanese subtitles, language settings, uploading subtitle files...

If you want to add subtitles in English or other foreign languages to your own videos, we recommend translating a Japanese SRT file with generative AI to create foreign-language subtitles.

This article explains how to add English and other foreign-language subtitles to YouTube videos.

[Free] How to Add English Subtitles to YouTube Videos: AI-Translate SRT Files Right in Your Browser

Explains how to add English or other foreign-language subtitles to YouTube videos for free, using only your browser. Shows, with screenshots, how to create a Japanese SRT file on an AI transcription site, translate it with generative AI, and add it to YouTube.

How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos with Mr. Transcription

From here, we explain in an easy-to-follow way how to add subtitles to YouTube videos with Mr. Transcription.

1. Transcribe the Video with Mr. Transcription

First, upload the same video file you uploaded to YouTube to Mr. Transcription.

Select the language that matches the video's content.

Next, select the file.

There are two ways to select a file.

• Click "Select file"
• Drag and drop the file

Once you select a file, uploading and transcription start automatically.

Transcription finishes in about 1 minute, even for long files.

When transcription is complete, the results are displayed automatically.

*If you close the browser tab after the upload has finished, you can also view the results from "History" in the menu.

As shown here, you can also play back the audio section by section to check and edit the transcription results.

2. Download the Subtitle File (SRT Format)

On the transcription results screen, click the "Download subtitles" button to download the subtitle file in SRT format.

3. Upload the Subtitle File to YouTube

Once your SRT subtitle file is ready, upload the subtitles to YouTube.

Open the "Video details" of the video you want to add subtitles to, and click "Languages" in the menu on the left.

Click "Upload manually" under "Video language".

Select "With timing".

Then just select the SRT file you downloaded from Mr. Transcription, and you're done.

*If the upload fails, click "Edit subtitles", press "Publish" on the screen that opens to save again, and you will then be able to upload.

That completes the process of adding subtitles to YouTube videos using Mr. Transcription.

Since you can add subtitles of higher quality than YouTube's auto-generated subtitles, you can also convey your content accurately to viewers from other countries.

The detailed steps are explained in this article.

[Free] How to Create SRT Files: Make Video Subtitles Using Only Your Browser

Explains how to create an "SRT file," a subtitle file that records subtitle text and display times. With an AI transcription site, you can create one using only your browser. Also covers how to use it in video editing software and on YouTube.

Summary: How to Translate YouTube Subtitles

In this article, we explained how to use YouTube's subtitle translation feature and how to translate videos without subtitles using Chrome's Live Caption feature.

Chrome's Live Caption and Live Translate features are free and require no extension, and they support more than 20 languages, starting with English.

When you want to watch English videos in Japanese, why not start by trying Mr. Transcription?