Change a video’s original language in YouTube Studio

If you uploaded a video and found its source language is mislabeled, correct that setting in Studio. This setting identifies the source language. Before saving it, also check the effect it may have on automatic dubs. (YouTube Help.)

Correct the source language

1. Open YouTube Studio and go to Content.
2. Select the video you manage and expand Show more.
3. Under Language and captions certification, choose the language spoken in the video.
4. Save, then reopen the setting to confirm it.

YouTube Help says existing captions are not changed when you update this field. The source language informs caption settings; it is separate from a viewer’s audio preference.

Check the effect on captions and translations

YouTube will use the new source language for future subtitle translations. Published and draft captions stay as they were. To fix an existing track, follow how to correct YouTube captions.

To present the video with a translated title and description, follow the metadata translation workflow. To choose what you hear as a viewer, see how to return to the original audio. Each option acts on a different part of the video.

If the video has automatic dubs

If an automatic dub was mistranslated because the original language was set incorrectly, YouTube says correcting that language regenerates the dubs. Generation and publication depend on video eligibility and channel settings; no immediate turnaround is guaranteed here. Read the automatic dubbing best practices.

When the new tracks are available, listen to them and review their publication settings. Follow the automatic dub review and management guide if that is why you are correcting the language. Choosing a track as a viewer uses a separate control from this creator setting.