Feedback: guides-translate_subtitles

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/guides/translate_subtitles
Category: guides
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:34:14 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:34:13 pm

Technical Documentation Analysis & Feedback

Overall Assessment

This documentation provides a functional walkthrough but lacks depth, clarity, and user-friendly features. Here’s my detailed analysis with actionable improvements:

🚨 Critical Issues

1. Missing Complete Working Example

Problem: Code is fragmented across sections without a full, runnable example.

Solution: Add a complete script at the end:

translate_subtitles.py

import assemblyai as aai
from googletrans import Translator

# Set up API key
aai.settings.api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"

# Initialize objects
transcriber = aai.Transcriber()
translator = Translator()

def translate_subtitles(audio_path, target_language='es'):
    """
    Transcribe audio and translate subtitles to target language

    Args:
        audio_path (str): Path to audio file or URL
        target_language (str): Target language code (default: 'es' for Spanish)

    Returns:
        str: Translated SRT subtitle text
    """
    try:
        # Transcribe audio
        transcript = transcriber.transcribe(audio_path)

        # Generate SRT subtitles
        subtitle_transcript = transcript.export_subtitles_srt()

        # Translate subtitles
        translation = translator.translate(subtitle_transcript, dest=target_language)

        return translation.text

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: {e}")
        return None

# Example usage
if __name__ == "__main__":
    result = translate_subtitles("./my-audio.mp3", "es")
    if result:
        print(result)

2. No Error Handling

Problem: No guidance on handling common failures.

Solution: Add error handling section:

## Error Handling

Common issues and solutions:

### Transcription Errors
```python
try:
    transcript = transcriber.transcribe(audio_path)
    if transcript.status == aai.TranscriptStatus.error:
        print(f"Transcription failed: {transcript.error}")
        return None
except Exception as e:
    print(f"API Error: {e}")

Translation Errors

try:
    translation = translator.translate(subtitle_transcript, dest=target_language)
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Translation failed: {e}")
    # Consider using alternative translation service

### 3. **Missing Prerequisites & Setup Details**
**Problem**: Assumes too much user knowledge.

**Solution**: Expand prerequisites:
```markdown
## Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

1. **Python 3.7+** installed
2. **AssemblyAI API Key**
   - [Sign up for free](https://assemblyai.com/dashboard/signup)
   - Copy API key from dashboard
   - Keep it secure (never commit to version control)
3. **Audio file** in supported format:
   - Formats: MP3, MP4, WAV, FLAC, etc.
   - Maximum file size: 2.2GB
   - Maximum duration: 12 hours

### Environment Setup
```bash
# Create virtual environment (recommended)
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install packages
pip install -U assemblyai googletrans==4.0.0rc1

⚠️ Important: Use googletrans==4.0.0rc1 for better stability.

## 📝 Content & Structure Issues

### 4. **Improve Code Flow & Explanations**
**Problem**: Steps lack context and rationale.

**Solution**: Add explanatory text:
```markdown
## Step 3: Generate Subtitles

First, transcribe your audio file. AssemblyAI processes the audio and returns timing information needed for subtitles:

```python
transcript = transcriber.transcribe("./my-audio.mp3")

# Wait for transcription to complete
print(f"Transcription status: {transcript.status}")

The transcription includes word-level timestamps that enable precise subtitle timing.

Step 4: Export SRT Format

Convert the transcript to SRT (SubRip Subtitle) format:

subtitle_transcript = transcript.export_subtitles_srt()
print("Sample SRT output:")
print(subtitle_transcript[:200] + "...")

SRT format includes:

• Sequential numbering
• Timestamps (start → end)
• Subtitle text

### 5. **Add Practical Examples with Expected Output**
**Problem**: No sample outputs or realistic examples.

**Solution**: Include example outputs:
```markdown
## Example Output

### Original English SRT:

1 00:00:00,000 —> 00:00:03,000 Welcome to our presentation on machine learning.

2 00:00:03,000 —> 00:00:06,500 Today we’ll explore neural networks and their applications.

### Translated Spanish SRT:

1 00:00:00,000 —> 00:00:03,000 Bienvenido a nuestra presentación sobre aprendizaje automático.

2 00:00:03,000 —> 00:00:06,500 Hoy exploraremos las redes neuronales y sus aplicaciones.

6. Expand Language Support Information

Problem: Vague reference to “other languages.”

Solution: Create dedicated section:

## Supported Languages

### Popular Language Codes:
| Language | Code | Example |
|----------|------|---------|
| Spanish | `es` | `dest='es'` |
| French | `fr` | `dest='fr'` |
| German | `de` | `dest='de'` |
| Portuguese | `pt` | `dest='pt'` |
| Italian | `it` | `dest='it'` |
| Chinese (Simplified) | `zh-cn` | `dest='zh-cn'` |
| Japanese | `ja` | `dest='ja'` |

### Language Detection:
```python
# Auto-detect source language
detection = translator.detect(subtitle_transcript)
print(f"Detected language: {detection.lang} (confidence: {detection.confidence})")

View all supported languages →

## 🔧 Technical Improvements

### 7. **Add Advanced Features**
```markdown
## Advanced Usage

### Batch Translation for Multiple Languages:
```python
def translate_to_multiple_languages(subtitle_text, languages=['es', 'fr', 'de']):
    """Translate subtitles to multiple languages"""
    translations = {}
    for lang in languages:
        try:
            result = translator.translate(subtitle_text, dest=lang)
            translations[lang] = result.text
        except Exception as e:
            translations[lang] = f"Error: {e}"
    return translations

Save Translated Subtitles:

def save_translated_subtitles(translated_text, filename, language):
    """Save translated subtitles to file"""
    output_filename = f"{filename}_{language}.srt"
    with open(output_filename, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
        f.write(translated_text)
    print(f"Saved: {output_filename}")

### 8. **Add Troubleshooting Section**
```markdown
## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues:

**Issue**: `googletrans` connection errors
**Solution**:
```python
# Add retry logic
import time
from googletrans import Translator

def translate_with_retry(text, dest_lang, max_retries=3):
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            translator = Translator()
            result = translator.translate(text, dest=dest_lang)
            return result.text
        except Exception as e:
            if attempt < max_retries - 1:
                time.sleep(2 ** attempt)  # Exponential backoff

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