# Transcription Options for MarkItDown's YouTube Converter: Complete Guide

> Explore MarkItDown's YouTube converter transcription options. Learn how to use youtube_transcript_languages for accurate script retrieval and translation with this comprehensive guide.

- Repository: [Microsoft/markitdown](https://github.com/microsoft/markitdown)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-11

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**The only transcription option available is the `youtube_transcript_languages` keyword argument, which accepts an ordered list of ISO language codes to fetch and translate YouTube video transcripts.**

The Microsoft MarkItDown library converts YouTube videos to Markdown format, optionally embedding transcript content when the `youtube-transcript-api` dependency is present. Understanding the available transcription options helps you control which language transcript appears in your converted documents and how the converter handles translation fallbacks.

## How Transcription Works in YouTubeConverter

Transcription support is conditional on the `IS_YOUTUBE_TRAN