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How to Dub Videos at Scale with ElevenLabs Dubbing API

How does ElevenLabs dubbing API work for videos? The Dubbing API lets you upload a video or audio file, specify source and target languages, and receive a professionally dubbed version — preserving voice characteristics, timing, and emotional delivery.

What Is the ElevenLabs Dubbing API?

Unlike traditional dubbing that requires voice actors, studios, and weeks of production, ElevenLabs Dubbing API automates the entire pipeline: speech recognition → translation → voice cloning → time-synchronized audio generation. All in a single API call.

How It Works (Pipeline)

1. Upload — Send your video/audio file to the API
2. Transcription — Automatic speech recognition extracts the transcript
3. Translation — Text is translated to your target language(s)
4. Voice Preservation — The original speaker’s voice is cloned and used for dubbing
5. Time Alignment — Generated speech is synchronized to original video timing
6. Output — Receive the dubbed video with original audio replaced

API Endpoint Overview

POST https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/dubbing
GET  https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/dubbing/{dubbing_id}  (check status)
GET  https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/dubbing/{dubbing_id}/audio  (download)

Step-by-Step: Dubbing a Video with Python

1. Submit the Dubbing Job

import requests

api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"
headers = {"xi-api-key": api_key}

# Upload a video file for dubbing
with open("my_video.mp4", "rb") as f:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/dubbing",
        headers=headers,
        files={"file": f},
        data={
            "source_lang": "en",
            "target_lang": "es",  # Spanish
            "mode": "automatic",
            "num_speakers": 2,
        }
    )

dubbing_id = response.json()["dubbing_id"]
print(f"Dubbing job submitted. ID: {dubbing_id}")

2. Poll for Completion

import time

def wait_for_dubbing(dubbing_id):
    while True:
        status_resp = requests.get(
            f"https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/dubbing/{dubbing_id}",
            headers=headers
        )
        status = status_resp.json()
        if status["status"] == "done":
            print("Dubbing complete!")
            return True
        elif status["status"] == "error":
            print(f"Error: {status.get('error', 'Unknown')}")
            return False
        
        print(f"Progress: {status.get('progress', 'processing')}")
        time.sleep (5)

3. Download the Dubbed Video

def download_dubbed(dubbing_id, output_path="dubbed_video.mp4"):
    url = f"https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/dubbing/{dubbing_id}/audio"
    resp = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    
    with open(output_path, "wb") as f:
        f.write(resp.content)
    
    print(f"Downloaded: {output_path}")
    return output_path

Supported Languages

Source Languages	Target Languages
English	Spanish, French, German
Spanish	Italian, Portuguese, Japanese
French	Chinese (Simplified), Korean
German	Arabic, Hindi, Russian
More added regularly	29+ languages total

Dubbing at Scale: Batch Processing

import os
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor

def dub_video(video_path, target_lang):
    with open(video_path, "rb") as f:
        resp = requests.post(
            "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/dubbing",
            headers=headers,
            files={"file": f},
            data={
                "source_lang": "en",
                "target_lang": target_lang,
            }
        )
    dubbing_id = resp.json()["dubbing_id"]
    return {"video": video_path, "lang": target_lang, "id": dubbing_id}

# Dub one video into 5 languages simultaneously
videos = ["tutorial_1.mp4", "tutorial_2.mp4"]
languages = ["es", "fr", "de", "ja", "zh"]

with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=5) as executor:
    for video in videos:
        for lang in languages:
            executor.submit(dub_video, video, lang)

Use Cases

YouTube Content Creators

Reach international audiences by dubbing every video into 5-10 languages. One upload, global reach.

Online Courses & E-Learning

Dub your course content once and offer it in every major language. No need to re-record with native speakers.

Corporate Training

Internal training videos can be dubbed for global teams in hours instead of weeks.

Film & Documentary

Independent filmmakers can dub their work for international film festivals and distribution.

Marketing & Ads

Dub promotional videos for different regional markets while maintaining brand voice consistency.

Quality Tips

• Clean audio helps — videos with clear speech, minimal background noise dub better
• Specify speaker count — helps the model assign voices correctly
• Review before publishing — always check lip-sync and translation accuracy
• Use manual mode — for critical content, review and edit translations before final dubbing

FAQ: ElevenLabs Dubbing API

How long does dubbing take?

A 10-minute video typically processes in 2-5 minutes. Longer videos scale proportionally.

Does it preserve background music?

Yes — the API preserves original background audio and only replaces spoken dialogue.

Can I dub multiple speakers?

Yes, the API detects and preserves multiple speakers, assigning a distinct voice to each.

What video formats are supported?

MP4, MOV, AVI, and most common formats. Audio-only files (MP3, WAV) are also supported.

Ready to dub your content globally? Try ElevenLabs Dubbing API →

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