Tipword
Subtitles in a foreign language are one of the best ways to learn, until a single word stops you. Pausing, typing the word into a translator and coming back takes you out of the scene. These are the options on a Mac, and when each one makes sense.
1. Point at the word with Tipword
Tipword reads the words on your screen, so it works in any video player and any browser tab, including Netflix and YouTube. Pause the video, hold ⌥ Option and point at the word in the subtitle. Its meaning appears right beside it. Let go and it’s gone.
- Pause the video at the line you want to understand.
- Hold ⌥ Option, or the key you picked in Settings.
- Point at the word in the subtitle and read its meaning.
- Press play again.
2. Show subtitles in two languages
Some browser extensions show a second subtitle line in your own language under the original. It’s handy for a first watch, but your eyes go straight to the line you understand, so you read less of the language you’re learning.
3. Translate the whole subtitle file
If you have the .srt file, a subtitle tool or a document translator can translate it all at once. That’s the right choice when you need every line, for example to subtitle a video yourself. It doesn’t help while you’re watching on a streaming site.
Which one should you use?
- Learning a language: keep the original subtitles and point at the words you miss.
- Just following the story: two-language subtitles or a dubbed version.
- Making subtitles: translate the file.
Questions
Does Tipword work with Netflix and YouTube?
Yes. It reads the words on your screen, so it works in any player or browser tab.
Which languages does it cover?
54. Twenty translate on your Mac with Apple, free. The rest use your own Google key; Google’s first 500,000 characters a month are free.