Quick answer: Paste the link into the TikTok subtitle downloader, save the SRT, translate the text with a free translator, then import the SRT into CapCut or YouTube.
Where TikTok captions come from
TikTok can generate auto-captions for speech, and creators can edit them. When captions exist, they can be exported. Text typed directly onto the video as a sticker is part of the picture and cannot be exported as text.
Step 1: download the captions
Paste the TikTok link into the subtitle downloader. Choose SRT to keep the timing, or plain text for quotes, blogs and notes.
Step 2: translate
- Open the SRT in a text editor (Notes, Notepad, TextEdit in plain-text mode).
- Copy only the text lines into Google Translate or DeepL, or translate the whole file and then check that the numbers and time codes were not changed.
- Read the result once. Slang and jokes often need a human fix.
Step 3: add them to a video
- CapCut: Text → Captions → Import, choose your SRT.
- YouTube Shorts: in YouTube Studio, add subtitles and upload the file.
- Instagram Reels: Reels uses its own auto-captions; you can edit them by hand or burn the translated text into the video in your editor.
SRT in 20 seconds
An SRT file is just numbered blocks: a number, a time range like 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,500, and the text. Keep that layout exactly, or players will not read it.
Use cases
- Reposting your TikToks for viewers in another language
- Quoting a video accurately in an article
- Making your videos accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers
- Studying a language with real, short clips