How do I translate TikTok subtitles?

Open CIRCØ, click “Open YouTube, Shorts, or TikTok”, paste any TikTok link (tiktok.com/@user/video/…, vm.tiktok.com/…, vt.tiktok.com/…, tiktok.com/t/…), and press Open. The video plays in a native portrait player while Edge Whisper AI transcribes the speech. Then tap any caption word or select a phrase to translate it instantly.

TikTok videos rarely include captions — how does this work?

Most TikTok creators burn text into the video or add no captions at all. CIRCØ transcribes the creator's speech with Whisper (large-v3-turbo) on Cloudflare's edge GPUs and turns the timestamps into interactive subtitles. When TikTok itself provides caption tracks for a video, those are used directly instead of AI transcription.

Is there a video length limit?

Yes. Edge transcription supports videos up to 3 minutes — the sweet spot for TikTok clips, language lessons, and vlogs. Longer videos show a notice instead of subtitles.

What if the TikTok is in another language?

The Source language (FROM) auto-switches to the detected spoken language when the video loads. Switching FROM or TO afterwards re-runs transcription with your chosen language, so the captions follow your selection.

Do I need to download the TikTok video?

No. The video streams through CIRCØ's edge proxy into a native HTML5 player — no file download, no TikTok embed clutter, and no comments or stickers covering the captions.

Is translating TikTok videos private?

Yes. Transcription runs on Cloudflare's edge and nothing is stored or tied to an account. Only the caption text you tap is sent for translation. Your watch position and vocabulary stay in your browser's local storage.

Do I need a browser extension?

No. CIRCØ runs entirely at circ0.com — no extension, app, or account needed. It works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on desktop and mobile.

Can I use keyboard shortcuts while watching TikTok?

Yes. J = previous caption, K = next caption, L = replay current caption, [ / ] = subtitle sync ∓0.2s, ←/→ = seek or caption-scrub when translating, Space = play/pause, ↑/↓ = volume.

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TikTok subtitle translator — paste a link, tap a word

Q: Can I listen to TikTok in the background or with the screen off?

Yes. On Android (Chrome and Chromium browsers), CIRCØ supports true background audio playback and notification shade controls via the Media Session API, allowing you to listen to language lessons and podcasts while using other apps. On mobile, CIRCØ also features Pocket Mode (Android, and iPhone on iOS 16.4+ where the Screen Wake Lock API is available): tapping the headphones icon dims the screen to pitch-black (#000) and locks touch controls with a 2-second hold gesture, preventing accidental pocket taps while streaming audio continuously.

Paste any TikTok link into CIRCØ and tap any transcribed word — or select a phrase — to translate it instantly while the video plays. Creator speech is transcribed on the fly by Edge Whisper AI (videos up to 3 minutes). No account, no install, no download — just a clean 9:16 portrait player with tap-to-translate captions and an OLED Pocket Mode.

Translate a TikTok video →

How it works

Open circ0.com and click Open YouTube, Shorts, or TikTok on the main button.
Paste any TikTok link — tiktok.com/@user/video/, vm.tiktok.com/, vt.tiktok.com/, or tiktok.com/t/ short links — and press Open.
Speech is transcribed automatically by Edge Whisper AI. The Source language (FROM) auto-switches to the detected spoken language, and switching FROM or TO afterwards re-runs transcription with your choice.
Set the To language (your target), then tap any caption word or select a phrase to translate it on the fly. The video pauses, the popover appears, and the word is saved to your vocabulary.

Player features for TikTok

Tap-to-translate caption overlay — a native HTML5 player with no TikTok embed, no comments, and no stickers over the captions; tap a single word or expand to phrase/sentence.
Edge Whisper AI transcription — creator speech is transcribed with Whisper (large-v3-turbo) on Cloudflare's edge GPUs. When TikTok itself provides caption tracks, those are used directly. Transcription covers videos up to 3 minutes.
Portrait 9:16 playback — vertical video fills the phone screen with captions docked for one-thumb tap-to-translate.
Background audio playback (Android only) — keep listening to language lessons and TikTok podcasts in the background on Android devices with notification shade controls and Bluetooth / earbuds play/pause support via the Media Session API.
OLED Pocket Mode & touch lock — tap the headphones icon in the player toolbar to engage Screen Wake Lock with a pure-black (#000) screen. Slide your phone into your pocket without accidental touches; hold for 2 seconds (or press Esc) to unlock. Available on Android and on iPhone with iOS 16.4+ (older iOS versions show a “not supported” notice, since Apple added the Screen Wake Lock API in 16.4). It stops accidental pocket touches from pausing or seeking the video.
FROM/TO switch re-transcribes — changing the language pair re-runs edge transcription with your chosen source language, so captions always follow your selection.
Auto-switch source — opening a French TikTok after a Spanish one flips FROM from es to fr automatically when French speech is detected.
Keyboard shortcuts — J previous caption, K next caption, L replay, [/] sync ∓0.2s, ←/→ seek or caption-scrub when translating, Space play/pause, ↑/↓ volume.
Read Along & timing — active cue highlighted, click a cue in the sidebar to jump, shift sync if captions are out of time.
Local & private — the video streams through CIRCØ's edge proxy; nothing is stored or tied to an account, and only the text you tap is sent for translation.

Background playback & Pocket Mode — how it works on mobile

If you use CIRCØ to listen to TikTok language lessons, interviews, or podcasts in a foreign language on your phone, you can take playback on the go:

Android (Background listening & Lock Screen): Android Chrome and Chromium browsers support true background playback. When you background the browser or switch to another app, CIRCØ keeps audio playing continuously and displays playback controls in your notification shade and lock screen.
Pocket Mode (Android & iPhone on iOS 16.4+): Tap the headphones icon next to the mode selector in the player toolbar. The screen immediately blacks out (turning off pixels on OLED displays to save battery) and locks all touch gestures so fabric contact in your pocket won't pause or seek. To exit, press and hold for 2 seconds or press Esc on a keyboard. On older iOS versions without the Screen Wake Lock API, tapping the icon shows a “not supported” notice instead.
Screen-off listening on iPhone: iPhone users on iOS 16.4+ can use Pocket Mode to listen on the go: it keeps the screen awake while rendering a pitch-black (#000) OLED touch-shield, allowing you to pocket your phone without accidental taps or playback interruption.

Great for language learning from TikTok

Watch in your target language and translate only the words you don't know, building vocabulary in context. Every tap is saved to your history and powers the Vocabulary Quest spaced-repetition review. It works for short lessons, vlogs, and trends — the same tap-to-translate you use for local video files and YouTube.

Try it with a TikTok link →

Can I listen to TikTok in the background or with the screen off?

On Android: Yes! CIRCØ supports true background audio playback and notification shade controls via the Media Session API. You can switch apps or lock your phone, and playback continues with full play/pause and scrub controls.

On iPhone (iOS): iPhone users on iOS 16.4+ can use CIRCØ's Pocket Mode (the headphones button) to listen on the go: it keeps the screen awake while rendering a pitch-black (#000) OLED touch-shield, allowing you to pocket your phone without accidental taps or playback interruption.

Playback paused when I switched apps — how do I resume?

Some Android phones pause background media aggressively when you leave the browser (Pixel battery optimization is a known case). If CIRCØ pauses, swipe down and tap play on the media tile — playback resumes from the same position. If it happens every time: set Chrome's battery usage to Unrestricted (Settings → Apps → Chrome → Battery), and for screen-off listening use Pocket Mode (the headphones icon), which also suspends auto-pause at subtitles.

What is tap-to-translate for TikTok captions?

Most TikToks ship with no captions at all — and burned-in text can't be tapped. CIRCØ transcribes the creator's speech into an interactive overlay: each caption is tokenized into tappable words. Tapping a word pauses the video, shows the translation, an example sentence, and (for single words) a generated scene image. Selecting a phrase translates the whole selection. This is the same experience as reading an EPUB or PDF in CIRCØ, but for video.

How is this different from TikTok's auto-captions?

TikTok can auto-generate captions on some videos, but they are plain text you can't interact with. CIRCØ keeps the transcribed speech and translates only the word you tap, with dictionary context, pronunciation, and vocabulary saving. It also detects the spoken language and lets you keep the FROM language as the original (e.g. French) while translating to your TO language (e.g. English).

Which languages are supported?

20 built-in languages — English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, Korean, and 10 more. Whisper detects the spoken language automatically, and the FROM dropdown follows it; you can translate between any pair.

Do I need to download the video or install an extension?

No. The video streams through CIRCØ's edge proxy into a native player — no file download, no Chrome extension, no desktop app. It works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on desktop and mobile. For local files, use the video subtitle translator instead.

Is it free and private?

Yes. CIRCØ is free, no account. Transcription runs on Cloudflare's edge and nothing is stored. Only the caption text you tap is sent for translation. Your watch position and vocabulary stay in your browser (localStorage/IndexedDB). See privacy and terms.

Questions? Email circ0@circ0.com. See our privacy policy and terms of use.