# Get Chinese YouTube Transcripts with Timestamps

**Use case:** 

Get existing Simplified Chinese captions from a YouTube video as full text and timestamped segments. Requires a matching Chinese track and does not translate another language. Useful for Chinese-language interviews, lectures, and research.

## Input

```json
{
  "videos": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs-bzi-jNiE"
  ],
  "languages": [
    "zh-Hans"
  ],
  "captionType": "preferManual",
  "fallbackToAnyLanguage": false,
  "includeSegments": true,
  "subtitleFormats": []
}
```

## Output

```json
{
  "status": {
    "label": "Status",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "videoId": {
    "label": "Video ID",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "message": {
    "label": "What happened",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "suggestion": {
    "label": "Recommended action",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "retryable": {
    "label": "Can retry later",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "title": {
    "label": "Video",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "channelName": {
    "label": "Channel",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "languageCode": {
    "label": "Language",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "isAutoGenerated": {
    "label": "Auto-generated",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "durationSeconds": {
    "label": "Duration (seconds)",
    "format": "integer"
  },
  "transcriptText": {
    "label": "Transcript text",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "subtitleFiles": {
    "label": "Subtitle files",
    "format": "array"
  },
  "warnings": {
    "label": "Caption notes",
    "format": "array"
  },
  "url": {
    "label": "YouTube URL",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "errorCode": {
    "label": "Status code",
    "format": "string"
  }
}
```

## How it works

### 1. Sign up on Apify or log in

The YouTube Transcript Scraper with SRT and VTT Actor is ready to run with the inputs already set for "Get Chinese YouTube Transcripts with Timestamps". [Sign up or log in](https://console.apify.com/create-task-from-example/plwASGqmfxadb3djs) and you'll land in Apify Console with a copy of this exact task.

### 2. Start the "Get Chinese YouTube Transcripts with Timestamps" task

The YouTube Transcript Scraper with SRT and VTT Actor will start running based on the input automatically. You can also change all the input fields, like video / shorts urls or ids, preferred caption languages, and more, to match your specific use case.

### 3. Receive the "Get Chinese YouTube Transcripts with Timestamps" output

Monitor the progress in real time. You will be notified as soon as your dataset is complete and ready for review. Each result includes data such as status, video id, what happened, and more.

### 4. Integrate into your workflow

The final output is delivered in JSON, CSV, or Excel format, ready to be plugged into your workflow. You can also [run the "Get Chinese YouTube Transcripts with Timestamps" task via API](https://apify.com/arjun_code/youtube-transcript-scraper.md).

## About this Actor

This example demonstrates how to use [YouTube Transcript Scraper with SRT and VTT](https://apify.com/arjun_code/youtube-transcript-scraper.md) with a specific input configuration. Visit the [Actor detail page](https://apify.com/arjun_code/youtube-transcript-scraper.md) to learn more, explore other use cases, and run it yourself.


## How to integrate an Actor?

This Task's input is already configured above. Use it as-is rather than inventing a new one.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For full API examples (JavaScript, Python, CLI, MCP, OpenAPI), see this Task's Actor page: https://apify.com/arjun_code/youtube-transcript-scraper.md

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).