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AI Subtitle Translation

WhisperJAV can translate Japanese subtitles to other languages using AI language models. Translation works as a standalone tool or integrated into the transcription pipeline.


Supported Providers

Provider Type API Key Required Best For
Local LLM Local No Privacy, no cost, offline use
DeepSeek Cloud Yes Cost-effective, good CJK quality
Gemini Cloud Yes Good multilingual support
Claude Cloud Yes High quality
GPT Cloud Yes Widely available
OpenRouter Cloud Yes Access to many models
GLM Cloud Yes Chinese-related tasks
Groq Cloud Yes Fast inference
Custom Cloud Varies Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint

Setting Up a Provider

Cloud Providers

  1. Get an API key from the provider's website
  2. In the GUI, select the provider from the dropdown
  3. Enter your API key in the field
  4. Click Test Connection to verify

Tip

API keys are saved locally and never sent anywhere except the provider's API endpoint.

Local LLM

The Local provider runs a llama-cpp server on your machine. No API key needed, but requires:

  • A GPU with ~8GB VRAM
  • The [llm] extra installed (pip install whisperjav[llm])
  • A GGUF model file (downloaded automatically on first use)

Translation Tone

Tone Description
Standard Clean, natural translations suitable for general audiences
Adult-Explicit Specialized instructions tuned for JAV dialogue with appropriate vocabulary

Two Ways to Translate

Method 1: Translate During Transcription

Transcribe and translate in one workflow:

  1. Set up your transcription on the Ensemble tab
  2. Check "AI-translate" after the merge strategy
  3. Select provider and model
  4. Click Start

Translation runs automatically after transcription completes.

Method 2: Translate an Existing SRT

Use the standalone translation tab:

  1. Go to AI SRT Translate (Tab 4)
  2. Add your .srt file
  3. Configure provider, model, target language, and tone
  4. Click Start

Advanced Settings

Setting Default What It Does
Movie Title (empty) Gives the AI context about the content
Actress Names (empty) Helps the AI handle character names correctly
Plot Summary (empty) Additional context for better translation
Scene Threshold 60 sec Groups subtitles into scenes for batch processing
Max Batch Size 30 Subtitles per API call (lower = fewer token issues)
Max Retries 3 Retry count for failed API calls

Improving Translation Quality

Filling in the Movie Title and Actress Names fields significantly improves translation quality. The AI uses this context to make better word choices and handle names consistently.


CLI Translation

# Translate with DeepSeek
whisperjav-translate -i subtitles.srt --provider deepseek --api-key YOUR_KEY

# Translate with adult tone
whisperjav-translate -i subtitles.srt --provider gemini --tone adult

# Translate to Chinese
whisperjav-translate -i subtitles.srt --target-language Chinese