1. What this lesson is for

In this lesson you generate clear, natural Polish narration with correct intonation and consistent terminology, and sync it to Polish subtitles in CapCut. The module principle matters even more here: script quality drives TTS quality more than any model setting. A Polish script that reads like a word-for-word translation of English will sound translated, no matter which voice you choose.

2. Choosing a Polish voice and style

• Use a multilingual model. Older English-only models cannot speak Polish properly.
• Prefer a voice that was recorded by, or designed for, native Polish speakers. Filter the voice library by language. An English voice speaking Polish through a multilingual model often keeps a foreign accent.
• If you want the same "person" in both versions (lesson 5.4), test your English voice in Polish too. Keep it only if a native speaker finds it natural.
• Polish viewers are used to fairly neutral, calm narration in tutorials; an overly upbeat promotional tone can sound like a translated advert.
• Cloned voices: you need the speaker's written consent covering Polish as well, and commercial use. Check the ElevenLabs terms and your plan's license.

3. Localize, do not translate

Start from the idea of each line in the master script, not from the English wording. Direct translation is the first common pitfall of this module.

4. Polish punctuation and intonation

Polish uses commas more often than English - before most subordinate clauses (ze, ktory, bo, gdy, zeby). TTS treats every comma as a small pause, so correct Polish punctuation gives natural rhythm, but a long sentence with five commas will sound choppy.

• Keep sentences shorter than in written Polish; split long chains of clauses.
• Stress in Polish usually falls on the second-to-last syllable. When TTS stresses the wrong syllable, it is often a loanword or a name - respell or rephrase it.
• Questions without a question word may not rise in pitch. Start them with "Czy" to make the intonation unambiguous.
• Polish is often 10-25% longer than English for the same content. Budget for it (section 7).

TOO LONG (sounds choppy)
Kiedy juz zaimportujesz plik, ktory wygenerowales, przeciagnij go na sciezke,
ktora wczesniej przygotowales, a potem sprawdz, czy jest zsynchronizowany.

BETTER (shorter, clear pauses)
Zaimportuj wygenerowany plik. Przeciagnij go na sciezke lektora.
Potem sprawdz synchronizacje z obrazem.

QUESTION (clear rising intonation)
Czy napisy pojawiaja sie razem z glosem?

(Real script: write all of the above with full Polish diacritics.)

5. Correcting proper names and product names

Polish TTS tends to read English brand names with Polish letter rules, or to decline them oddly. Decide the approved form once, log it, and use it everywhere.

6. Listening pass routine

1. Diction - are sz, cz, rz and the nasal vowels clear? Mumbled clusters usually mean a respelling or a different voice is needed.
2. Rhythm - listen at 1x and 1.25x; flag choppy lines caused by too many commas.
3. Sentence stress - does the important word carry the stress? Move it to the end of the sentence if not.
4. Native check - ask a native speaker to mark any line that "sounds translated". If you are not native, this step is not optional.

7. Syncing Polish voiceover with subtitles

• Expect the Polish VO to run longer than the English. For each scene, compare durations and shorten the Polish text if it overruns the shot by more than a few frames.
• Generate Polish subtitles in CapCut (auto-captions with Polish selected, if your version supports it) or import a subtitle file, then proofread diacritics carefully.
• Polish words are longer; keep subtitle blocks short and break at clause boundaries.
• Check reading speed: if a block is on screen too briefly to read, split it or trim the text.

8. Checklist

• Punctuation supports natural pauses; no over-comma'd lines.
• Technical terms consistent across the whole script and subtitles.
• Proper diacritics in the real TTS and subtitle scripts.
• Subtitle timing synchronized with the Polish audio.
• Native-level listening pass completed and logged.

9. Exercise

1. Take your English script from lesson 5.2 and fill in the localization table for every line - adapt the idea, do not translate the words.
2. Write the Polish TTS script with full diacritics and a separate subtitle script.
3. Audition two Polish voices on the same three lines and pick one.
4. Render, run the listening pass, and fill in the pronunciation log.
5. Sync with Polish subtitles in CapCut and compare scene durations with the English version.
6. Retrospective: which lines sounded translated, and how did you rewrite them for native Polish flow?

Further reading

• ElevenLabs documentation
• ElevenLabs - models and supported languages
• ElevenLabs - prompting and best practices
• CapCut Help Center