Getting a Punjabi video into text
Drop in the video file without converting it: MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM, AVI, 3GP or a screen recording from your phone. The audio is pulled out on our server, so every timestamp still points to the right moment in the video. If the video is online, choose Import from link and paste a public link from YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo, Dropbox or Google Drive, or a direct link to the file; only the sound is downloaded.
When the transcript is ready it opens next to a player. Click a line to hear it again, fix the word and keep going; changes save as you type.
Gurmukhi, Shahmukhi and mixed speech
With Punjabi selected the transcript is usually written in Gurmukhi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ), the script used in Indian Punjab and by most Sikh communities abroad. Punjabi from Pakistan is normally written in Shahmukhi, the Perso-Arabic script, and there is no built-in conversion between the two. If you need Shahmukhi, the AI prompt export can ask an AI assistant to transliterate the text, which you should then check.
Punjabi videos often slide into Hindi, Urdu or English, especially vlogs and interviews filmed in Canada or the UK. English words may come out in Gurmukhi letters or in Latin script. Doabi, Majhi and Malwai accents are all recognised, though strong regional words get more mistakes than standard vocabulary.
Punjabi videos people bring
Typical uploads:
- Katha and kirtan recordings from gurdwaras, to share the words as text.
- YouTube interviews, podcasts and news clips from Punjab, for quotes.
- Family videos and elders' stories filmed on a phone, for relatives abroad.
- Your own vlogs or Shorts, to add Punjabi captions.
- Recorded classes and community meetings.
Punjabi subtitles
Export SRT or VTT to subtitle the video. The files are UTF-8, so Gurmukhi displays in YouTube Studio and in current editors; if an older program shows empty boxes, pick a font with Gurmukhi coverage such as Noto Sans Gurmukhi. Song lyrics over loud music are hard for any speech model, so expect to retype parts of music videos.
How good the draft is
Punjabi has far less training data than Hindi or English. A clear single speaker gives a usable draft that needs a careful read; crowded gurdwara halls, wedding videos and background dhol need much more editing. Speaker labels for interviews are available on paid plans and with a Minute Pack.
The transcript stays in Punjabi; there is no built-in translation. To read it in English, open the Google Translate link on the transcript, or use the AI prompt export to hand the text to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. For audio-only recordings, see the Punjabi audio to text page.