The Multi-language audio feature allows you to upload audio tracks in different languages to a single video or Shorts. This is a powerful way to expand your global reach without creating and managing multiple separate channels.
What is multi-language audio?
Multi-language audio enables you to upload additional audio tracks in multiple languages for both new and previously uploaded videos.
- How it works for viewers: The audio tracks will automatically default to the viewer's preferred language, which is determined by their watch history. Viewers can change their preferred language in their settings. They can also switch between languages using the video player settings.
- Search and Discovery: Once your videos are translated, your videos can be found when viewers search using a translated video title and description. Our search systems look at these translated titles and descriptions to provide accurate results in the language they speak.
- Not automatic dubbing: Multi-language audio lets you upload your own dubbed audio tracks. It does not automatically create these tracks, unlike the automatic dubbing feature. You must record your dubbed audio tracks before uploading them. If an automatic dub already exists for a language, you must delete it before uploading your own version.
Eligibility
Multi-language audio is currently available to a subset of creators with access to Advanced features as we are expanding access gradually. Learn more about Advanced features.
How to add a language track
You can add multiple audio tracks to new or existing videos in YouTube Studio on desktop. To generate a dubbed audio track, you can either outsource your dubbing needs to a vendor or record yourself speaking in another language.
- Sign in to YouTube Studio on your computer.
- From the left menu, select Languages
.
- Click the video that you'd like to edit.
- Click Add Language and select your language.
- Next to "Dub," click Add.
- Click Select file.
- Choose which file to upload. Files must be in a supported audio-only file format and roughly the same length as your video.
- Click Publish when you’re ready to upload your audio track.
Note: This feature does not automatically generate dubbed audio tracks. Creators will have to record dubbed audio tracks before uploading. If an automatic dub has already been generated for your selected language, you first have to delete the auto dub in that language before you can upload your own dub.
Important: If we detect that the copyrighted content in the secondary audio track is different from the original audio, the file may be removed.
How to replace previously uploaded audio files
If you uploaded a multi-language audio track and want to replace it with a new one:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio on your computer.
- From the left menu, select Languages
- Click the video that you'd like to edit.
- Under “Audio,” click Delete
for the appropriate language.
- Repeat the steps for uploading a new multi-language audio track.
for the appropriate language.To make your videos accessible to even more viewers, learn more about adding subtitles and captions and translating video titles and descriptions.
Strategy and Best Practices
Multi-language audio is a great option for creators who want to go international and reach viewers in new geographies.You are a good candidate if you already have viewership from multiple geographies or have frequent comments in different languages.
Key Benefits for multi-language audio
- Unlock Global Audiences: Multi-language audio makes your videos more accessible to viewers all over the world, opening up a new set of viewers who speak diverse languages.
- Increased Reach: Creators who uploaded Multi-language audio tracks saw over 25% of their watch time come from views in the video’s non-primary language.
- Simplified Management: Multi-language audio allows you to post content to one channel with all audio tracks attached to a single video, simplifying maintenance and analytics tracking compared to managing multiple language-specific channels.
Best practices for multi-language audio
- Prioritize depth: Focus your efforts on one or two languages, and strive to dub as much content as you can for them.
- Dub your back catalog: If you have the resources, dubbing half or more of your existing video catalog can provide additional opportunities for new viewers to discover your content.
- Translation accuracy: We recommend that your second language tracks match the primary language translation as closely as possible.
- Captioning: Automatic captions will be available in the language of the original audio track. You can also add your own captions to your video.
- Audio descriptions: Creators with Multi-language audio access can also upload Audio Description tracks in YouTube Studio. Learn more about audio descriptions.
- Editing your video: You can add multiple language tracks to edited videos. If you manually trim or swap audio in the original video, those edits will propagate to the secondary tracks.
- Analyze performance: Use YouTube Analytics to track your views and watch time broken down by audio language to determine where demand exists and to analyze performance.
- Proactive promotion: Let your viewers know by explaining you’ve dubbed your content or collaborated with creators in the target language.