Guide · Updated November 2026

How to translate a podcast and read it side by side

Most podcast apps don’t translate. Apple Podcasts transcripts stay in the original language, and many episodes have no transcript at all.

ReadTheTalk, a free Chrome extension, turns the episode into text and places each paragraph next to its translation, right on the episode page — in one of 8 languages. Click any line to hear it in the original player.

Add to Chrome — it’s free

Google Chrome on Mac or Windows. Reading existing translations is free; new translations are Pro.

ReadTheTalk
#112 — Why the best teams write everything downApple Podcasts · 1:12:40
14:40When we started, nobody wrote anything down.

始めた頃は、誰も何も書き残していませんでした。

14:44Decisions were made in meetings and just evaporated.

決定は会議の中で下され、そのまま消えていきました。

14:49Three months later, nobody could say why we’d picked what we picked.

3か月後には、なぜそれを選んだのか誰も説明できませんでした。

14:55So we made one rule: one page for anything that costs more than a week of work.

そこでルールを一つ決めました。1週間以上かかる仕事は、必ず1ページにまとめること。

Recreated from the real panel. Sample episode for illustration. The reading language also sets the panel’s interface language, so it appears in Japanese here.

Two reasons to translate a podcast

You’re learning English

  • Read the English line first; glance at your language only when you get stuck
  • Click the timestamp to hear exactly how it was said
  • Search the transcript for a word you heard but couldn’t catch

The show is in a language you don’t speak

  • Read a Chinese, Japanese, or Spanish episode in English (or the other way round)
  • Keep the original next to it, so names, numbers, and quotes can be checked
  • Start with the overview to decide whether the episode is worth your time

How to translate a podcast episode

  1. Add ReadTheTalk to Chrome (free).
  2. Open the episode on a supported site — Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Bilibili, Xiaoyuzhou, and more — and click the ReadTheTalk button on the page.
  3. Open the panel’s Settings and choose your Language. The same setting controls the panel’s interface language.
  4. On the Transcript tab, choose Bilingual in the transcript menu (menu labels follow the language you chose, such as 対訳 in Japanese). Each paragraph now shows its translation underneath.
  5. Start playback and click any timestamp to hear that line in the original player.

Where the translation comes from

  • The platform already has captions in your language (common on YouTube): ReadTheTalk pairs them with the original line by line, free.
  • Otherwise, Pro translates the transcript into your language. Once a translation exists, it can be read again without using another one.
  • The episode needs a transcript first: platform captions, the publisher’s transcript, or a full transcription with Pro. See why many Apple Podcasts episodes have none.

Languages

Translate into: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, and Spanish.

Episodes in: any language that has captions or that our speech recognition supports — including Chinese and English. Overviews and readable articles can be shown in your language too.

Where it works: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Simplecast-hosted podcasts, Bilibili, Xiaoyuzhou, LateTalk, and Xiaohongshu. Spotify isn’t supported yet.

What’s free, and what needs Pro

TranslationFreePro · US$9.90/mo
Platform captions already in your languagePaired with the original, freeSame
A translation someone already madeRead it (community items count toward 15 a month)Read it
A new translationNot includedUp to 20 a day; doesn’t use processing hours
Episodes with no transcriptNot includedTranscribe the full episode, up to 6 hours; 1 hour of audio uses 1 of your 20 monthly hours

Full details are on the pricing page.

Add to Chrome — it’s free

Questions

More on the home page.

Can you translate a podcast?

Most podcast apps don’t translate episodes, and Apple Podcasts transcripts stay in the original language. ReadTheTalk, a Chrome extension, turns the episode into text and places each paragraph next to its translation on the episode page, in one of 8 reading languages.

How do I translate a podcast into English?

Install ReadTheTalk, open the episode in Chrome, and set the reading language to English in the panel’s settings. Then choose Bilingual in the transcript menu. The episode needs a transcript first: platform captions, the publisher’s transcript, or a transcription made with Pro.

Is podcast translation free?

Reading a translation that already exists is free. On YouTube, if a video already has captions in your language, ReadTheTalk pairs them with the original at no cost. Creating a new translation requires Pro (US$9.90 a month), which includes up to 20 new translations a day.

Which languages can I translate into?

English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, and Spanish. The episode itself can be in any language that has captions or that our speech recognition supports, including Chinese and English.

Can I translate Spotify podcasts?

Not yet. ReadTheTalk works on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Simplecast-hosted podcasts, Bilibili, Xiaoyuzhou, LateTalk, and Xiaohongshu. If a show is also on Apple Podcasts or YouTube, you can open the episode there.