- Wordpause
- YouTube subtitle translator
Coming soon for Chrome
A YouTube subtitle translator that explains any word as you watch
Hover a word in the captions: the video pauses and you see its meaning with real example sentences.
Paused Pero alguien me quiere matar.
The short answer
How to translate YouTube subtitles
For a whole video, use YouTube’s own setting: Settings, then Subtitles/CC, then Auto-translate. For single words while you learn a language, use an extension such as Wordpause that keeps the original captions and explains the word you point at.
Auto-translate replaces every caption with a machine translation. It helps you follow a video in a language you do not know, but it hides the words you would want to learn.
Wordpause is a Chrome extension for the opposite case. The captions stay in the language of the video. When you miss a word, point at it.
How it works
One movement of the mouse
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Hover the subtitle
The video pauses the moment your cursor touches the line.
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Hover the word
See what it means, with real example sentences. Drag across a few words to translate a phrase.
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Move away
Playback carries on from the same frame. Save the word first if you want to review it later.
Features
Made for learning from video
YouTube’s own captions
Works on the captions YouTube shows in the player, including auto-generated ones.
A word, a phrase or the line
Hover a word, drag across a few, or translate the whole line with one button.
Saved words and review cards
Each saved word keeps its subtitle line. Missed words come back sooner, known ones later.
Other sites too
The same extension works on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Udemy, and on sites that use standard subtitle tracks.
Questions
Before you ask
Does it work with auto-generated captions?
Yes. If YouTube shows captions in the player, Wordpause can read them. Auto-generated captions sometimes mishear a word, so the lookup can only be as good as the caption.
Is it a dual-subtitle extension?
No. It does not put a second line under every caption. You can translate a whole line when you want one, and the original stays on screen.
Does it work on other video sites?
Yes: Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Udemy, and other sites where subtitles are text on the page.
Can I use it next to another translator extension?
Yes. While your pointer is on a subtitle, Wordpause handles it; everywhere else on the page other extensions work as usual. You can also switch Wordpause off for one site.
Which languages does it support?
Subtitles can be read in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Ukrainian, Japanese and Korean, and translated between those languages.
Is it available yet?
Not yet. Wordpause is in development. Write to wordpause@releasium.com and we will tell you when it is ready.
How much will it cost?
There is a free plan with 30 lookups a month. Paid plans start at $3.99 a month, or $2.67 a month billed yearly. See plans