‘Translating n / m’: Why the Editor Waits After a Storyboard Lands, and the Three Ways Through

Quick answer: If your interface language differs from the project’s working text, every new storyboard is translated for you segment by segment. The editor shows a counter — segments ready out of segments total — and opens by itself when they are all ready, usually within a minute. It is a soft wait, never a lock: the button under the counter opens the original text at once, and the wait releases itself after three minutes whatever the state, so a slow translation can never keep you out. A segment that fails to translate shows a status line above it with a retry; the original is shown there meanwhile. On the Chinese site, and with an English interface on an English project, there is nothing to translate and no overlay.

Still from “Starfall Command”, an AI short drama generated end-to-end by SceneMixer (7 characters, 1 episode) — Sample: “Starfall Command” — Realistic HD, 1 episode, produced end-to-end by SceneMixer from the script · watch the episodes

Generate a storyboard with the interface set to a third language: Step 3 shows “translating n/m” on the episode card, and the editor opens when it reaches m/m or when you choose to read the original.

What the overlay is

The storyboard is written in the project’s working text (Chinese or English). To let you read and edit it in your language, each segment is translated after it lands; segments are done a couple at a time, in parallel, and the counter rises as they finish. Which languages are which: The languages on this site.

A storyboard segment: location, time and weather fields, then numbered shots with durations, asset chips and spoken lines — The overlay counts segments already readable in your language; the button under it opens the original at once.

The three ways through

Wait: the counter reaches the total and the editor opens; typically under a minute for an episode. Read the original: the button under the counter opens the editor with the working text; translated segments swap in as they finish. Time: three minutes after the storyboard landed the wait releases on its own, server side and in the page, even if some segments are not ready. The overlay exists to spare you a half-translated page, not to hold you.

Where else it shows

Step 3 episode cards carry the same counter while an episode is being translated. Editing an already open storyboard is not gated; only a freshly generated one. Remakes behave the same when their working text differs from your language; ads are shown in their working language and have no translation step.

A segment that never turns

If translation of a segment fails after its retries, a status line above the segment says so and offers a retry; the segment shows the original text until then, and you can generate its clip from that. Editing a segment while it is untranslated edits the working text directly. The five wait messages.

Cost and speed

Translation costs you nothing and does not use your concurrent-task slots. Speed depends on segment length and the translation service’s load; a very long episode takes longer, which is why the three-minute release exists.

You see	Means	Do
Translating 3/8	Three segments readable in your language	Wait, or read the original
Counter stuck	A segment is retrying	Read the original; it swaps in when done
Overlay gone at 6/8	Three minutes passed	Remaining segments show original until ready
Status line: not translated, retry	Translation of that segment failed	Retry, or work from the original

FAQ

Can the overlay lock me out?

No. The button opens the original at once, and it releases by itself after three minutes.

Is translation charged?

No.

Why is there no overlay on the Chinese site?

Working text and interface are both Chinese; nothing to translate.

Can I generate a clip from an untranslated segment?

Yes. Clips are generated from the working text either way.

Why did my edit take a moment to save?

Edits made in a translated view are written back to the working text; that is the 'syncing' wait.

Wait a minute, or read the original

Either way the editor is yours; the overlay only saves you a half-translated page.

Open Step 3

Updated September 27, 2026