Hack of the Day: Listen to YouTube videos in another language

'The Times of India' brings you 'Hack of the Day'—a new weekday series of quick, practical solutions to everyday hassles. Each hack is designed to save you time, money or stress, using tools and features within your reach—from government websites to everyday apps. In simple terms, it's simple fixes for smarter living.'YouTube undoubtedly became one of the best destinations to learn almost anything and everything. However, there is one stubborn limitation which can hamper the learning process. A lot of useful content on YouTube from all around the world is made by creators who speak a language that you don’t understand. Think of a scenario, where you found the perfect YouTube tutorial or a documentary which covers something you have been researching for weeks, but you realise that you will need subtitles and a lot of time and patience to go through it. However, there’s a better option, which many of you didn’t know existed.YouTube has been rolling out an audio track feature that lets you switch the language you hear on supported videos, not just the language you read in subtitles, but the actual spoken audio. When it works, it turns a video in Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, or any other supported language into something you can follow as naturally as content made in your own language. No reading along the bottom of the screen. No pausing every thirty seconds. Just the video, playing in a language you actually understand.Open the YouTube video you want to watch and let it start playing. Once the video is running, tap the settings icon inside the player, which usually looks like a small gear or cog. In the menu that appears, look for an option called Audio Track. If the video supports alternate audio, this option will be there. If it does not appear, the video does not have additional audio available, and you will need to fall back on subtitles for that one.When you tap Audio Track, you will see a list of the available language options for that video. Select the one you want, and the audio will switch over. The video continues playing from the same point, just in a different voice and language. On some videos, particularly those that have been officially dubbed, the quality is very close to what you would expect from a professionally made product. On others, especially those using YouTube's auto-dubbed audio, the quality varies and the voices can sound slightly mechanical, though the content is still perfectly followable.If you find yourself using this feature regularly, it is worth going into your main YouTube settings and specifying your preferred language for audio tracks. Once that is set, YouTube will automatically default to your chosen language on supported videos without you having to change it manually each time.The obvious use case is entertainment. Films, documentaries, and video essays made in other languages become accessible without the concentration that reading subtitles demands. But the more interesting use cases are practical ones.The feature works impeccably when it comes with educational content. The online learning channels, science explainers, history documentaries and skill-based tutorials from creators in different countries and in different languages now become genuinely usable. For instance, if a creator based in Brazil has made the clearest and best explanation of a concept then you will be able to understand it with the help of YouTube’s dubbed feature. You can convert it into English which makes it usable for you. The same applies to news and current affairs. Broadcasts and video reports from international outlets that YouTube has added audio tracks to can be followed without the barrier of an unfamiliar language getting in the way of the information.It is also worth noting that this works in reverse. If you are learning a new language, switching a familiar video into that language gives you a listening exercise built around content you already understand and enjoy, which is considerably more engaging than most formal language learning exercises.It is important to keep in mind that features only work with YouTube videos in which the creator has included alternate audio tracks. The feature is not available everywhere yet and also the availability of this functionality varies by region, channel and video. Also, the auto-dubbed audio is not always perfect but YouTube is working on improving the quality. You should also remember that the pacing, pronunciation and tone may slightly feel off in some select videos. But where the feature works, it works very well. And given how much good content exists outside the language you grew up speaking, that is worth a few taps in the settings menu.