Why Is My TV In Spanish?: Explained - Robot Powered Home (2024)

RobotPoweredHome is reader-supported. When you buy through links on my blog, I may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I had been using my TV for streaming almost exclusively for quite some time, and I watched the newest episode of Better Call Saul when I had to stop midway to handle something at home.

I came back after a few hours, but everything on the TV was in Spanish, including the closed captioning.

I was watching in English, so I had no idea why this had happened.

To get my TV back to English, I went on the internet to look for the easiest ways to do so.

After a couple of hours of research, I had enough information to know how to change the language on almost any app on any smart TV.

I was finally able to change the language back to English on the TV for a few minutes of fiddling with the settings.

After reading this article, you’ll know exactly how to change your TV’s language to any other language you wish.

Your TV might be in Spanish because of a bug in the TV’s software. You can turn it back to English by going to the TV’s system settings.

Continue reading to find out how you can change the language on your TV and the subtitles for some streaming services.

Why Is The TV In Spanish?

Your TV’s text or audio elements might have changed to Spanish because of a bug in the TV’s software or one of your apps.

It can also happen if you incorrectly configure your time zones and your system thinks you are in one of the Spanish-speaking countries of the world.

Fortunately, setting the language back to English is easy on both system settings and for subtitles in streaming services.

The following sections will tell you how to turn the language back to English, not just Spanish, but for any language.

You can follow the same steps again if you want to change to another language from English.

How To Change Back To English

Almost all TVs, cable boxes, and other devices allow you to change the language pretty easily by going to system settings and changing your time zone or language.

I will be talking about almost all of them here and what the easiest way is to change the language to English in seconds.

Use a tool like Google Lens to translate Spanish words on the fly using your camera if you don’t know Spanish, and go through the steps I’ve detailed below.

Most cable boxes

First, you’ll need to open the Settings menu of the cable box, then follow these steps:

1. Look for aLanguageorTime Zonesetting. Sometimes, this might be hidden in anAdvancedsection orVideoorAudiosection.
2. Select the setting. It can also be namedOSD LanguageorIMD Language.
3. Set your correct Time Zone or setEnglishfrom the list of languages.

Samsung TV

For models from 2015 and earlier:

1. Press theMenubutton on the remote.
2. Go toSystem>Menu Language.
3. SelectEnglishfrom the list.

For models from 2016

1. Press theSettingskey on the remote.
2. Go toSystem>Expert Settings.
3. SelectLanguage.
4. ChooseEnglishfrom the list.

For models from 2017 or newer:

1. Press theHomekey on the remote.
2. Go toSettings>General>System Manager.
3. ChooseEnglishunderLanguage.

Google TV

1. From the Home screen of your Google TV, select yourProfile.
2. SelectSettings.
3. Go toSystem>Language.
4. SetEnglishfrom the list.

If your Google Assistant on your TV is also in Spanish;

1. Launch theGoogleapp on your phone.
2. Check the profile top right to make sure you’re using the same account on your TV.
3. TapMorefrom the bottom of the screen.
4. SelectGoogle Assistant.
5. Scroll down and tapLanguage and region.
6. SelectEnglish (United States)from the list.

Roku TV

1. Press theHomekey on the Roku remote.
2. Go toSettings.
3. Then selectSystem>Language.
4. SelectEnglishfrom the list.

You can also change the subtitles settings underAccessibilityby changing parameters under theCaptions stylemenu.

Fire TV

1. Select theSettingscogwheel icon on the Fire TV’s home page.
2. Go toPreferences>Language.
3. Set the language toEnglish.

Other Devices or Services

For other devices or services, you can change the language similarly by going to the settings page of the device or service.

Set your region to the United States or use the language setting to English.

How To Change Subtitle Language

If only the subtitles in your apps are in Spanish, changing them is a piece of cake.

Follow the steps for each of the services I’ve discussed below.

Netflix

You can change the language on your phone or computer, and the change will reflect on your TV.

For phones or tablets:

1. From the app’s home screen, select yourProfileor tapMore.
2. Go toManage Profilesand select your profile.
3. SelectDisplay Language.
4. SetEnglishas the display language.

Computers and laptops:

1. Sign intonetflix.com.
2. SelectAccount, then yourProfile.
3. SelectLanguagefrom the menu that appears.
4. SetEnglishas your preferred language and save the changes.

Prime Video

1. When the stream you are watching is playing, pressUpon your TV remote.
2. SelectClosed Caption or Subtitles.
3. SelectEnglishfrom the list of languages.
4. Set the audio track toEnglishif it wasn’t under theAudiosettings.

HBO Max

1. When content is being streamed, press the down key on the remote or press the middle key of the remote.
2. HighlightAudio and Subtitles.
3. SelectEnglishfor subtitles andEnglishunderAudioif that needs to be changed.

Hulu

1. Press Up on the TV’s remote.
2. OpenSettings.
3. SelectEnglishunderSubtitlesorSubtitle Languages.

Double press the Up key on your remote for the older Hulu app and set the language underCaptionssettings.

Final Thoughts

All of these options would be in Spanish if it were the language set system-wide, but if you are getting Spanish in an app, then it becomes easier to change the language.

Google Lens is a great tool that lets you translate text in real-time, so launch the app and point it at your TV to navigate between the menu settings in Spanish.

Usually, system-wide changes affect all the apps on your TV, so if you change the language to English in the TV’s settings, it can return all the apps to English.

Bugs can happen, but if you follow these steps carefully, you’ll be able to fix the issue in no time.

You May Also Enjoy Reading

• Why are my Xfinity Channels in Spanish? How to Revert Them to English?
• Hulu Audio Out of Sync: How to Fix in minutes
• How to Turn Off Closed Captioning on Netflix smart TV: Easy Guide
• HBO Max Audio Description Not Turning Off: How To Fix in minutes
• How To Turn On Subtitles On HBO Max: Easy Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

What does SAP mean on my remote?

SAP, or Secondary Audio Programming, is a feature found on some TVs that allow you to switch to a different audio track.

This track might be in another language like Spanish or include the creator’s commentary.

Can I learn Spanish by watching TV?

While you won’t be able to master any language without practice and structured learning, consuming Spanish media can help you broaden your knowledge of where to use phrases.

I would still recommend learning from a teacher with a structured plan for best results, and watching media in Spanish can help you learn the language faster.

Why is my TV speaking in Spanish?

Most channels or streamed content will be available in multiple languages, mostly English and Spanish.

You can select what language you will hear from the settings and what language the subtitles would be in, and some bug in the system might have switched the language to Spanish.

How do I get my Samsung TV to stop speaking Spanish?

You can change the language on your Samsung TV by going to the System settings and changing the Menu language to English.