How to Transcribe and Translate TikTok Videos

We are in an era of short video consumption. Since the emergence of social media 20 years ago, our attention span has been declining alarmingly. Now, Generation Z can only maintain an attention span of 8 seconds, while millennials can barely hold it to 12 seconds. One platform that has significantly capitalized on this decline is TikTok. 

This short-form video app became one of the most downloaded platforms by the end of 2022, attracting more than 340 million users yearly. For business owners, this is a goldmine in marketing and ads.

However, you must know how to transcribe and translate your videos to get maximum engagement and better search rankings on the app. Here is a step-by-step procedure on how to transcribe TikTok video to text for free.

How to Transcribe TikTok Videos

Step 1: Create your video and download it to your device.

Record your video with your device’s camera app or do it straight from the TikTok app. Once done, save it to your device for easy access when uploading to Notta. 

Step 2: Upload your video to Notta.

Log in to Notta or create a free account if you do not have one. Click ‘Import files’ in your dashboard to upload your video file. Select your transcription languages in the pop-up box and drop your video file. Notta supports videos up to 10 GB in the following formats: avi, rmvb, mp4, mov, wmv, and flv. The transcription process will start immediately after the upload. 

Step 3: Edit the transcript.

Navigate to your dashboard and find the uploaded video and transcript under ‘Recent Recordings.’ Click on it to access the Notta editor and make any corrections or changes to your transcript.

Step 4: Download your video transcript.

Once you are satisfied with your video transcript, click on the ‘Download’ icon at the top right corner of your screen. In the pop-up box that appears, set the file format to ‘.docx or .txt’ before clicking the ‘Export’ button. 

Step 5: Upload the video to TikTok.

Head over to your TikTok account and press the ‘Upload’ button. You can access the app on your smartphone, desktop, or web. On your smartphone, click the ‘+’ sign at the center of your screen to upload your video file. When using your desktop, the upload sign is at the top left corner of your screen, just under the TikTok logo.

Step 6: Add captions to your video.

Once you select your video for uploading, your TikTok app will allow you to make one final edit before posting your video. Here, you can copy and paste the captions generated from Notta to the captions box provided. Ensure that the characters do not exceed 2200. Finally, click the ‘Post’ button to upload your video to TikTok. 

N.B: You must have a pro account to download your transcripts/captions.  

How to Translate TikTok Videos

Consider translating your videos into other languages using Notta to reach a wider audience. To do this, follow the steps below: 

Step 1: Log in to your Notta account using your email address.

Step 2: Click ‘Upload files’ on the right corner of your dashboard. In the pop-up box, drag and drop your file. The transcription process will occur immediately after your upload and will take only a few minutes.

Step 3: Navigate to the dashboard and find the uploaded file under ‘Recent Recordings.’ Click on it to access the video transcript.

Step 3: In your Notta editor, click ‘Translate’ at the top right corner of your screen and select the language in which you wish to translate the video. (Currently, Notta can translate English to 41 different languages.)

N.B: Always edit your transcript before translating because the translated text is not editable.

Step 4: Click the ‘Download’ icon at the top right corner of your Notta editor. In the pop-up box, select your desired download format (preferably Docx or .txt), and choose whether to download the translated transcript or both translated and original transcripts. Finally, click the export button.

Step 5: Head over to TikTok to upload your video file. After selecting your video, copy and paste your downloaded transcript to the captions box provided.

Step 6: Make the necessary changes to your TikTok settings before posting. Here, you can edit the video cover, make the video private or public, schedule your post, and even run a copyright check to avoid using soundtracks that infringe on any copyrights. After setting up everything, run your video.

How to Download TikTok Videos and Saving Them on Your Device

You may need to download TikTok videos and save them on your device for several reasons. However, the two most important ones are:

1. To get offline copies of your videos.

2. To repurpose other people’s media and share it as your own.

You can download your media right before posting by following the steps below:

Step 1: Click the ‘+’ button at the bottom center of your smartphone screen to create a video straight from your TikTok app camera.

Step 2: Make the necessary edits to your video using the settings provided on the right side of your screen.

Step 3: Click on the dropdown icon for more options.

Step 4: Click the ‘Save button’ to download the edited video to your device.

N.B: All videos you download from TikTok come with a TikTok logo and the account username.

There are pre-requisites to downloading videos from other users:

1. The user’s page needs to be public

2. They should allow people to download their videos by turning the video downloading settings ‘On.’ (This is, however, easy to bypass, as you will see below.)

If you find a video that meets these two criteria: 

Step 1: Click the share icon on the bottom right of your screen.

Step 2: Save the video file by clicking the ‘Download’ icon. 

If a video’s download settings are off, you can still download a video using an online downloader. This is also the best way to get a video without a TikTok watermark. To do so: 

Step 1: Identify the video you want to download and click the share button on the bottom right.

Step 2: Copy the link to the video.

Step 3: Open an online TikTok Downloader like Snaptik on your browser and paste the video link.

Step 4: Download the watermark-free video to your device.

FAQs

1. Does TikTok have transcripts?

TikTok does not provide you with transcripts for your videos. It can, however, transcribe your video and generate automatic captions to make it easier for your viewers to follow through with the conversation.

Unfortunately, these captions are not very accurate at times. Consider using a TikTok video-text converter like Notta to create accurate transcripts for better results. Then, use your preferred video editor to add captions to the video manually.

2. How to translate in TikTok?

To translate in TikTok, find the comments, video descriptions, or auto-generated captions you wish to translate and long-press on the text. This activates TikTok’s translation feature, automatically translating the text to your target language.

3. How do you translate a TikTok video?

To translate a TikTok Video to English:

Step 1: Download the video you wish to translate.

Step 2: Log in to Notta.ai and upload the video.

Step 3: Edit the generated transcript.

Step 4: Click on the translate transcript option and select your language of choice.

Step 5: Download the translated text as a .docx file.

4. How can I transcribe a video to text for free?

To transcribe a video and get a transcript for free: 

Step 1: Log in to Notta using your email address.

Step 2: Click ‘Import files’ on your dashboard. In the pop-up box that appears, set your transcription language and upload your video file.

Step 3: Navigate to the dashboard and find the video and transcript under ‘Recent recordings.’

Step 4: Click on the uploaded file to edit your transcript. Here, make any grammatical changes that may be necessary.

Step 5: Click on the ‘download’ icon on the top right corner of your screen and select your preferred download format.

5. How do you change your language on TikTok?

To change your language on TikTok: 

Step 1: Open your TikTok app and navigate to Profile. 

Step 2: Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) on the top right corner.

Step 3: Select ‘Settings and Privacy’ in the options available.

Step 4: Change the app's language to your preferred one by clicking on 'Languages' and selecting 'App Languages.'

You can also set ‘Always show translations’ to see translated content when browsing.

Conclusion

Notta is one of the best TikTok transcript generators today due to its accuracy, speed, and ease of use. Moreover, it's free and easily accessible on both desktop and mobile.

Remember, to enjoy all the app's benefits, you need to upgrade to a pro or business account. Use it today to transcribe and translate all your TikTok videos and make your content more accessible by decreasing the language barrier of your video content.