Real-Time Translation for YouTube Live Streams
Auto-captions are often missing on live streams, and auto-translated captions lag or disappear. LiveToka listens to the stream audio on your computer and writes a live transcript plus a translation into your language — useful for Japanese VTuber streams, Korean shows, live product launches and conferences.
New accounts get 10 free minutes. Sign in with Google — no credit card required.
Step by step
- Open the live stream in one browser window and LiveToka in another (or on a second monitor).
- Pick the stream’s language as the source and your language as the target.
- Route the stream audio into LiveToka (see "Getting the stream audio in" below).
- Click Start Service and keep watching — translated text follows each sentence.
Getting the audio in
LiveToka listens to your browser’s microphone input. To translate sound that plays on your computer, choose one of these — and tick 🔊 Computer audio next to “Save text” in LiveToka, which turns off echo cancellation and noise suppression so the audio is not filtered out.
Option 1 — Speakers (quickest)
Play the audio through your speakers, not headphones, so your microphone picks it up. This needs no setup, but room noise and low volume reduce accuracy. If the transcript stays empty while audio is playing, make sure Computer audio is ticked, or use option 2.
Option 2 — Virtual audio device (best quality)
- Windows: install the free VB-CABLE driver. Set the meeting or system output to CABLE Input, and pick CABLE Output as the microphone for livetoka.com. To keep hearing the audio, open Sound settings → Recording → CABLE Output → Properties → Listen, tick “Listen to this device” and choose your headphones.
- macOS: install the free, open-source BlackHole (2ch). In Audio MIDI Setup create a Multi-Output Device with BlackHole and your headphones, and use it as the output. Pick BlackHole 2ch as the microphone for livetoka.com.
- To choose the microphone in Chrome, open
chrome://settings/content/microphone(Edge:edge://settings/content/microphone) and select the virtual device.
Tips
- Streams with loud background music or game sound are harder to recognise; lowering the music volume in the stream (if available) helps.
- When many people talk at once (collabs, panels), the transcript may merge speakers.
- Translation uses credits at 2×; for long streams use Transcribe Only mode if you just need the original-language text.
Popular language pairs
More guides
- Live Translate Zoom Meetings in Real Time
- Live Sermon Translation for Church Services
- Real-Time Lecture Transcription & Translation for Students
- Transcribe and Translate Interviews in Real Time
Frequently asked questions
Does it work with Twitch, Bilibili or TikTok Live?
Yes. LiveToka does not depend on the platform — anything you can play on your computer can be routed in.
Can it translate a recorded YouTube video?
Yes, play the video and route its audio the same way. It works in real time, so a 20-minute video takes 20 minutes.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. New accounts get 10 free minutes after signing in with Google — no credit card. Transcription uses credits at 1× and translation at 2×, so that is up to 10 minutes of transcription or 5 minutes of translation. Paid plans start at $9.9/month.