Video & Audio Translation

Codex Editor provides powerful features for translating video subtitles and managing audio recordings. Whether you're dubbing content, translating subtitles, or creating audio Bibles, Codex handles timing and synchronization automatically.

Overview

What You Can Do

• Translate Video Subtitles - Import VTT/SRT files, translate, and export
• Play Video in the Editor - Built-in video player with synchronized timeline
• Import Audio Files - Automatic segmentation with Voice Activity Detection
• Record Audio - Record directly inside the cell editor
• Cell-by-Cell Audio Playback - Waveform visualization aligned with each cell
• Transcribe Audio - Whisper-powered automatic speech recognition
• Validate Audio - Multi-user validation workflow for quality checking
• Audio History - Browse and restore previous recordings per cell

Subtitle Translation

Supported Subtitle Formats

• WebVTT (.vtt) - Modern web standard format
• SubRip (.srt) - Classic subtitle format

Both formats preserve timing information automatically.

Step 1: Import Subtitle Files

1. Open Navigation → Add Files
2. Select "Source Files"
3. Choose "Subtitles (VTT/SRT)" importer
4. Upload your subtitle file

What Codex Creates:

MyVideo.source    # Original subtitles (read-only)
MyVideo.codex     # Your translation workspace

Each subtitle becomes a cell with:

• Original text
• Start timestamp
• End timestamp
• Unique cell ID

Step 2: Translate Subtitles

1. Open the .codex file (your translation workspace)
2. Each cell represents one subtitle segment
3. Source text appears on the left (if available)
4. Type your translation on the right
5. Timing information is preserved automatically

Step 3: Export Translated Subtitles Beta

1. Open Project Settings (sidebar menu)
2. Scroll to Export Project
3. Choose "Rebuild Export" or "VTT/SRT" option
4. Select your translated .codex file
5. Download the exported subtitle file

Your exported file will have:

• Same timing as the original
• Your translated text
• Original subtitle format (VTT or SRT)

Subtitle Import Examples

Example 1: Simple 1-to-1 Mapping

Original English subtitle:

00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.000
Hello, world!

After import, becomes a cell:

• Cell ID: MyVideo 1:1
• Start: 10.0 seconds
• End: 12.0 seconds
• Content: "Hello, world!"

Example 2: Complex Mappings

The subtitle importer handles:

• 1:1 mapping - One source subtitle → one cell
• 1:many mapping - One source split across multiple target subtitles
• many:1 mapping - Multiple sources combined into one target
• many:many mapping - Complex overlapping subtitles

The system uses timestamp overlap detection to automatically align translations during Target Import.

Video in the Editor

Codex plays video directly inside the editor using a built-in video player.

Video Player

When you open a .codex file that has a video URL set in its document metadata (typically after importing subtitles), a Video tab appears in the cell editor. The video player:

• Plays back local video files or HTTP(S) URLs
• Supports VTT subtitles overlaid on the video
• Calls back with the current playback time so the editor can highlight the active cell

Timeline Editor

Below the video player is an interactive Timeline Editor that:

• Shows all translation cells as time blocks along the video timeline
• Highlights the cell currently playing
• Allows click-to-seek: clicking a time block jumps the video to that position
• Stays synchronized with video playback in real time

Resizable Player

Drag the grabber bar between the video player and timeline to resize the player height (minimum 200px). This lets you allocate more screen space to translation or to the timeline as needed.

Audio Translation

Importing Audio Files

The audio importer uses Voice Activity Detection (VAD) to automatically split a long audio file into individual segments (one per cell). This is the primary way to bring audio into a Codex project from scratch.

How to import:

1. Open Navigation → Add Files
2. Choose the Audio importer
3. Configure VAD settings (see below)
4. Select your audio file(s)
5. Review and edit the detected segments
6. Click Import

Voice Activity Detection (VAD)

VAD analyzes the audio waveform to find silences and automatically places segment boundaries. Two settings control this behavior:

After adjusting the sliders, click Apply to re-run VAD on your file. Click Revert to return to defaults.

Waveform Editor

After the file is processed, a waveform preview appears. You can:

• Drag segment boundaries (the vertical lines) left or right to adjust split points
• Click a segment in the list to highlight it in the waveform and scroll to it
• Play any segment using the play/pause button in the segment list
• Split a segment at its midpoint using the + button
• Merge a segment with the next one using the trash button (dissolves the boundary)

Multi-file Import

Select multiple audio files at once. Each file gets its own tab at the top of the importer, and all files are imported sequentially. Each file becomes its own document.

Supported Audio Formats

• .mp3 - Good compression, widely supported
• .wav - Recommended for best quality
• .m4a - Apple format, good quality
• .aac - Advanced audio coding
• .ogg - Open source format
• .webm - Web-native format (also used internally for recordings)
• .flac - Lossless compression

Working with Audio in the Cell Editor

Once a cell has audio (imported or recorded), the cell editor shows a full audio panel with a waveform, playback controls, and several action buttons.

Waveform View

Each cell with audio displays a waveform canvas showing the amplitude of the recording over time. Click play to listen. Only one cell's audio plays at a time—starting playback in one cell automatically stops any other playing cell.

Recording Audio

Codex has built-in audio recording. To record for a cell:

1. Open a cell in the editor
2. Click Re-record (microphone icon) to open the recorder
3. Record your audio using your microphone
4. Save the recording—it replaces or is added to the cell's audio

Transcription (Whisper)

Codex integrates with Whisper automatic speech recognition to generate a text transcription of any cell's audio:

1. Click Transcribe in the cell audio panel
2. A progress bar shows transcription progress
3. When complete, the transcribed text and detected language appear above the waveform
4. Click Insert Transcription to copy the text into the cell's translation field

Audio History

Every cell keeps a history of all recordings. Click History (with a count badge showing how many recordings exist) to open the history viewer, where you can:

• Play any previous recording
• Select a recording to make it the active one
• Delete recordings you no longer need
• Restore a previously deleted recording

Audio Validation

For team workflows, cells support multi-user audio validation:

• A Validate badge appears in the top-right corner of the audio panel
• Click it to mark the recording as validated by the current user
• Hover to see which team members have validated that recording
• A configurable required validation count determines when a recording is fully approved
• The badge changes appearance as validation progresses (unvalidated → partially validated → fully validated)

Advanced Workflows

Dubbing Video Content

Complete workflow for video dubbing:

1. Import subtitles (VTT/SRT) through Navigation → Add Files
2. Translate the subtitle text in the .codex file
3. Record audio for each cell using the built-in recorder or by importing files
4. Review using the video player and timeline editor in the editor
5. Validate recordings with your team using the audio validation workflow
6. Export subtitles for final video through Project Settings (subtitle export is in beta; audio export is coming soon)

Oral Translation Projects

For communities creating oral translations:

1. Import your source text (USFM, plain text, or subtitles)
2. Record verse-by-verse using the built-in recorder in each cell
3. Use Whisper transcription to generate a text draft from recordings
4. Review the transcription against the recording
5. Validate with team members using the audio validation feature
6. Export your translation when complete (text export is stable; audio export is coming soon)

Audio Bible Recording

Book: Jude (example)

1. Open your Jude .codex file
2. For each verse cell, click Re-record and record the verse
3. Use Transcribe to get a text draft if needed
4. Use History to compare takes and select the best one
5. Have team members Validate each verse
6. Export the final audio files (audio export is coming soon — see export formats)

Subtitle Translation Examples

Example Project: Translating a Documentary

File: Documentary_Episode1.vtt

Step-by-Step:

1. Import:

   • Navigation → Add Files → Subtitles
   • Upload Documentary_Episode1.vtt
   • Creates Documentary_Episode1.source and Documentary_Episode1.codex

2. Translate:

   • Open Documentary_Episode1.codex
   • See 247 subtitle cells
   • Each cell shows timestamp range
   • Translate cell by cell

3. Export:

   • Project Settings → Export
   • Select Rebuild Export
   • Choose Documentary_Episode1.codex
   • Download the exported .vtt file

4. Test:

   • Open the video in the Codex editor's Video tab to preview with the timeline
   • Or open in an external player (VLC, etc.) with the exported subtitle file

Best Practices

For Subtitle Translation

1. Keep translations concise - Match source length when possible
2. Respect timing constraints - Viewers need time to read
3. Use natural language - Spoken style, not written
4. Test frequently - Export and watch with video using the built-in player
5. Consider reading speed - Different languages have different speeds

For Audio Projects

1. Use VAD for bulk import - Let Codex segment your files automatically
2. Fine-tune boundaries - Drag segment lines in the waveform editor
3. Record in a quiet environment - Minimizes background noise
4. Use History - Keep multiple takes and pick the best one
5. Validate as a team - Use the validation workflow before finalizing
6. Transcribe for accuracy checks - Use Whisper to verify recordings match text

For Professional Projects

1. Version control - Use Git or regular backups
2. Quality checks - Multiple reviewers using audio validation
3. Style guides - Document translation conventions
4. Delivery formats - Know client requirements before exporting
5. Archive everything - Keep all source files and takes

Technical Details

Supported Timestamp Formats

For subtitle files:

WebVTT:

00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.500
Subtitle text here

SubRip (SRT):

1
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,500
Subtitle text here

Both formats are automatically detected and parsed.

Audio Storage

Imported and recorded audio is stored in .project/attachments/files/{BOOK}/ within your project (e.g., .project/attachments/files/MAT/), with a legacy fallback to .project/attachments/{BOOK}/. Recorded files use auto-generated names (e.g., audio-{timestamp}-{id}.webm) and are referenced by attachment ID in cell metadata. The importer manages this automatically.

File Size Considerations

• WAV files: Large but high quality (approximately 10 MB per minute)
• MP3 files: Smaller, good quality (approximately 1 MB per minute at 128 kbps)
• Project size: Plan storage accordingly for complete projects
• Cloud sync: Large audio files may slow synchronization

Next Steps

After setting up your video/audio project:

• Configure export options
• Share with team members
• Use AI assistance for subtitle translation
• Learn about batch translation for faster subtitle work

FAQ

Need help with media translation? Complete the Troubleshooting guide support form for audio, subtitle, and transcription issues, then paste the generated template into Discord.