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Dub videos into new languages or translate transcripts for subtitles. Support for 20+ languages with automated voice matching.

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Quick Example

import videodb

conn = videodb.connect()
coll = conn.get_collection()
video = coll.get_video("m-xxx")

# Dub video to Spanish
dubbed = coll.dub_video(
    video_id=video.id,
    language_code="es"
)
dubbed.play()

# Translate transcript to French
video.index_spoken_words()
french_transcript = video.translate_transcript(language="fr")

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Video Dubbing

Replace the audio track with AI-generated voices in another language. 
dubbed = coll.dub_video(
    video_id=video.id,
    language_code="hi",  # Hindi
    callback_url="https://your-backend.com/webhooks/dubbing"
)

# Returns a new video object
dubbed.play()

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Parameters

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
video_idstrrequiredSource video ID
language_codestrrequiredTarget language (ISO 639-1)
callback_urlstrNoneWebhook URL when complete

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Supported Languages

LanguageCodeLanguageCode
SpanishesHindihi
FrenchfrJapaneseja
GermandeKoreanko
ItalianitChinesezh
PortugueseptArabicar
DutchnlRussianru
PolishplTurkishtr

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Transcript Translation

Translate the spoken content for subtitles or text-based use cases.

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Step 1: Index Spoken Words

# Required before translation
video.index_spoken_words()

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Step 2: Translate

# Translate to French
french_text = video.translate_transcript(
    language="fr",
    additional_notes="Use formal tone"
)

print(french_text)

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Parameters

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
languagestrrequiredTarget language (ISO 639-1)
additional_notesstr""Style guidance for translation
callback_urlstrNoneWebhook URL

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Style Guidance Examples

# Formal business content
additional_notes = "Use formal business language appropriate for corporate presentations"

# Casual content
additional_notes = "Use casual, conversational tone"

# Technical content
additional_notes = "Preserve technical terms in English where no equivalent exists"

# Marketing content
additional_notes = "Adapt cultural references for the target audience"

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Use Cases

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Global Product Launch

# Upload marketing video
video = coll.upload(url="https://example.com/product-launch.mp4")

# Create versions for key markets
languages = ["es", "fr", "de", "ja", "zh"]

for lang in languages:
    dubbed = coll.dub_video(
        video_id=video.id,
        language_code=lang,
        callback_url=f"https://backend.com/webhooks/dubbing/{lang}"
    )

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Educational Content

# Upload lecture video
lecture = coll.upload(url="https://example.com/lecture.mp4")
lecture.index_spoken_words()

# Generate subtitles in multiple languages
for lang in ["es", "fr", "pt", "zh"]:
    translated = lecture.translate_transcript(
        language=lang,
        additional_notes="Educational content, maintain academic tone"
    )
    # Use with CaptionAsset for subtitles

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Customer Support

# Dub support video for regional markets
support_video = coll.get_video("m-support-tutorial")

# Create localized versions
regional_versions = {
    "LATAM": "es",
    "Brazil": "pt",
    "France": "fr",
    "Germany": "de"
}

for region, lang in regional_versions.items():
    coll.dub_video(
        video_id=support_video.id,
        language_code=lang,
        callback_url=f"https://backend.com/webhooks/{region}"
    )

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Best Practices

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Pre-Dubbing Checklist

CheckWhy
Clear audioReduces transcription errors
Single speakerBetter voice matching
Minimal background musicCleaner dubbing result
Proper pacingAllows for language expansion

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Language Expansion

Different languages have different word counts for the same content:
Original (English)Expansion
German+15-20%
French+15-20%
Spanish+10-15%
Japanese-10-15%
Chinese-20-30%
Plan for this when timing is critical.

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Quality Review

After dubbing:
  1. Check lip sync on close-ups
  2. Verify tone matches content
  3. Review technical term pronunciation
  4. Test with native speakers

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Async Processing

Dubbing is a long-running operation. Use callbacks: 
# Start dubbing (returns immediately when callback_url is provided)
dubbed = coll.dub_video(
    video_id=video.id,
    language_code="ja",
    callback_url="https://your-backend.com/webhooks/dubbing"
)

print(f"Processing video ID: {dubbed.id}")

# When callback_url is not provided, SDK returns video object once process is done
dubbed = coll.dub_video(
    video_id=video.id,
    language_code="ja"
)
# This will wait and return the completed video object

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Webhook Response

When the dubbing process completes, your webhook receives: 
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "m-dubbed-xxx",
    "collection_id": "c-xxx",
    "name": "dubbed_video",
    "extension": "mp4",
    "size": "12345678"
  }
}

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What You Can Build

Video Dubbing

Localize videos into multiple languages automatically

AI Voiceovers

Generate narration in different languages

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Next Steps

Safety & Approvals

Review workflows before publishing

Subtitles Guide

Add styled subtitles to videos