MCPInstall

video-translate

Translate and dub existing videos into multiple languages using HeyGen. Use when: (1) Translating a video into another language, (2) Dubbing video content with lip-sync, (3) Creating multi-language versions of existing videos, (4) Audio-only translation without lip-sync, (5) Working with HeyGen's /v2/videotranslate endpoint.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/heygen-com/skills --skill video-translate
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads video-translate automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Video Translation (HeyGen)

Translate and dub existing videos into multiple languages, preserving lip-sync and natural speech patterns. Provide a video URL or HeyGen video ID — no need to create the video on HeyGen first.

Authentication

All requests require the X-Api-Key header. Set the HEYGEN_API_KEY environment variable.

curl -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v2/video_translate" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $HEYGEN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"video_url": "https://example.com/video.mp4", "output_language": "es-ES"}'

Default Workflow

  1. Provide a video URL or HeyGen video ID
  2. Call POST /v2/video_translate with the target language
  3. Poll GET /v2/video_translate/{translate_id} until status is completed
  4. Download the translated video from the returned URL

Creating a Translation Job

Request Fields

FieldTypeReqDescription
video_urlstringY*URL of video to translate (*or video_id)
video_idstringY*HeyGen video ID (*or video_url)
output_languagestringYTarget language code (e.g., "es-ES")
titlestringName for the translated video
translate_audio_onlybooleanAudio only, no lip-sync (faster)
speaker_numnumberNumber of speakers in video
callback_idstringCustom ID for webhook tracking
callback_urlstringURL for completion notification

Either video_url or video_id must be provided.

curl

curl -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v2/video_translate" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $HEYGEN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "video_url": "https://example.com/original-video.mp4",
    "output_language": "es-ES",
    "title": "Spanish Version"
  }'

TypeScript

interface VideoTranslateRequest {
  video_url?: string;
  video_id?: string;
  output_language: string;
  title?: string;
  translate_audio_only?: boolean;
  speaker_num?: number;
  callback_id?: string;
  callback_url?: string;
}

interface VideoTranslateResponse {
  error: null | string;
  data: {
    video_translate_id: string;
  };
}

async function translateVideo(config: VideoTranslateRequest): Promise<string> {
  const response = await fetch("https://api.heygen.com/v2/video_translate", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "X-Api-Key": process.env.HEYGEN_API_KEY!,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify(config),
  });

  const json: VideoTranslateResponse = await response.json();

  if (json.error) {
    throw new Error(json.error);
  }

  return json.data.video_translate_id;
}

Python

import requests
import os

def translate_video(config: dict) -> str:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://api.heygen.com/v2/video_translate",
        headers={
            "X-Api-Key": os.environ["HEYGEN_API_KEY"],
            "Content-Type": "application/json"
        },
        json=config
    )

    data = response.json()
    if data.get("error"):
        raise Exception(data["error"])

    return data["data"]["video_translate_id"]

Supported Languages

LanguageCodeNotes
English (US)en-USDefault source
Spanish (Spain)es-ESEuropean Spanish
Spanish (Mexico)es-MXLatin American
Frenchfr-FRStandard French
Germande-DEStandard German
Italianit-ITStandard Italian
Portuguese (Brazil)pt-BRBrazilian Portuguese
Japaneseja-JPStandard Japanese
Koreanko-KRStandard Korean
Chinese (Mandarin)zh-CNSimplified Chinese
Hindihi-INStandard Hindi
Arabicar-SAModern Standard Arabic

Translation Options

Basic Translation (with lip-sync)

const config = {
  video_url: "https://example.com/original.mp4",
  output_language: "es-ES",
  title: "Spanish Translation",
};

Audio-Only Translation (faster, no lip-sync)

const config = {
  video_url: "https://example.com/original.mp4",
  output_language: "es-ES",
  translate_audio_only: true,
};

Multi-Speaker Videos

const config = {
  video_url: "https://example.com/interview.mp4",
  output_language: "fr-FR",
  speaker_num: 2,
};

Advanced Options (v4 API)

For more control over translation:

interface VideoTranslateV4Request {
  input_video_id?: string;
  google_url?: string;
  output_languages: string[];        // Multiple languages in one call
  name: string;
  srt_key?: string;                  // Custom SRT subtitles
  instruction?: string;
  vocabulary?: string[];             // Terms to preserve as-is
  brand_voice_id?: string;
  speaker_num?: number;
  keep_the_same_format?: boolean;
  input_language?: string;
  enable_video_stretching?: boolean;
  disable_music_track?: boolean;
  enable_speech_enhancement?: boolean;
  srt_role?: "input" | "output";
  translate_audio_only?: boolean;
}

Multiple Output Languages

const config = {
  input_video_id: "original_video_id",
  output_languages: ["es-ES", "fr-FR", "de-DE"],
  name: "Multi-language translations",
};

Custom Vocabulary (preserve specific terms)

const config = {
  video_url: "https://example.com/product-demo.mp4",
  output_language: "ja-JP",
  vocabulary: ["SuperWidget", "Pro Max", "TechCorp"],
};

Custom SRT Subtitles

const config = {
  video_url: "https://example.com/video.mp4",
  output_language: "es-ES",
  srt_key: "path/to/custom-subtitles.srt",
  srt_role: "input",
};

Checking Translation Status

curl

curl -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v2/video_translate/{translate_id}" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $HEYGEN_API_KEY"

TypeScript

interface TranslateStatusResponse {
  error: null | string;
  data: {
    id: string;
    status: "pending" | "processing" | "completed" | "failed";
    video_url?: string;
    message?: string;
  };
}

async function getTranslateStatus(translateId: string): Promise<TranslateStatusResponse["data"]> {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://api.heygen.com/v2/video_translate/${translateId}`,
    { headers: { "X-Api-Key": process.env.HEYGEN_API_KEY! } }
  );

  const json: TranslateStatusResponse = await response.json();

  if (json.error) {
    throw new Error(json.error);
  }

  return json.data;
}

Polling for Completion

Translations take longer than standard video generation — allow up to 30 minutes.

async function waitForTranslation(
  translateId: string,
  maxWaitMs = 1800000,
  pollIntervalMs = 30000
): Promise<string> {
  const startTime = Date.now();

  while (Date.now() - startTime < maxWaitMs) {
    const status = await getTranslateStatus(translateId);

    switch (status.status) {
      case "completed":
        return status.video_url!;
      case "failed":
        throw new Error(status.message || "Translation failed");
      default:
        console.log(`Status: ${status.status}...`);
        await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, pollIntervalMs));
    }
  }

  throw new Error("Translation timed out");
}

Complete Workflow

async function translateAndDownload(
  videoUrl: string,
  targetLanguage: string
): Promise<string> {
  console.log(`Starting translation to ${targetLanguage}...`);
  const translateId = await translateVideo({
    video_url: videoUrl,
    output_language: targetLanguage,
  });
  console.log(`Translation ID: ${translateId}`);

  console.log("Processing translation...");
  const translatedVideoUrl = await waitForTranslation(translateId);
  console.log(`Translation complete: ${translatedVideoUrl}`);

  return translatedVideoUrl;
}

const spanishVideo = await translateAndDownload(
  "https://example.com/my-video.mp4",
  "es-ES"
);

Batch Translation

Translate to multiple languages in parallel:

async function translateToMultipleLanguages(
  sourceVideoUrl: string,
  targetLanguages: string[]
): Promise<Record<string, string>> {
  const results: Record<string, string> = {};

  const translatePromises = targetLanguages.map(async (lang) => {
    const translateId = await translateVideo({
      video_url: sourceVideoUrl,
      output_language: lang,
    });
    return { lang, translateId };
  });

  const translationJobs = await Promise.all(translatePromises);

  for (const job of translationJobs) {
    try {
      const videoUrl = await waitForTranslation(job.translateId);
      results[job.lang] = videoUrl;
    } catch (error) {
      results[job.lang] = `error: ${error.message}`;
    }
  }

  return results;
}

const translations = await translateToMultipleLanguages(
  "https://example.com/original.mp4",
  ["es-ES", "fr-FR", "de-DE", "ja-JP"]
);

Features

  • Lip Sync — Automatically adjusts speaker's lip movements to match translated audio
  • Voice Cloning — Translated audio matches the original speaker's voice characteristics
  • Music Track Control — Optionally remove background music with disable_music_track: true
  • Speech Enhancement — Improve audio quality with enable_speech_enhancement: true

Best Practices

  1. Source quality matters — Use high-quality source videos for better results
  2. Clear audio — Videos with clear speech translate better
  3. Single speaker — Best results with single-speaker content
  4. Moderate pacing — Very fast speech may affect quality
  5. Test first — Try with shorter clips before translating long videos
  6. Allow extra time — Translation takes longer than video generation (up to 30 min)

Error Handling

Common errors and how to handle them:

async function safeTranslate(
  videoUrl: string,
  targetLanguage: string
): Promise<{ success: boolean; result?: string; error?: string }> {
  try {
    const url = await translateAndDownload(videoUrl, targetLanguage);
    return { success: true, result: url };
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.message.includes("quota")) {
      return { success: false, error: "Insufficient credits" };
    }
    if (error.message.includes("duration")) {
      return { success: false, error: "Video too long" };
    }
    if (error.message.includes("format")) {
      return { success: false, error: "Unsupported video format" };
    }
    return { success: false, error: error.message };
  }
}

FAQ

What does the video-translate skill do?

Translate and dub existing videos into multiple languages using HeyGen. Use when: (1) Translating a video into another language, (2) Dubbing video content with lip-sync, (3) Creating multi-language versions of existing videos, (4) Audio-only translation without lip-sync, (5) Working with HeyGen's /v2/videotranslate endpoint.

How do I install video-translate?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/heygen-com/skills --skill video-translate in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/video-translate/ (personal) or .claude/skills/video-translate/ (project).

Which AI agents can use video-translate?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is video-translate safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains video-translate?

It is published by heygen-com in heygen-com/skills. It has 1,154 recorded installs.

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