Trancy is a free browser extension that allows you to have dual subtitles and a pop-up dictionary on Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube. Using it dramatically increases the amount of input you can take in, while also making the content more enjoyable because it’s easier to understand. I highly recommend it for any language learner because it will make your learning experience a lot more fun.
First, go to the Trancy website and download the extension for the browser of your choice.
Once the extension is installed, a “T” icon should appear in the bottom right corner of YouTube, Disney+, and Netflix videos. If you are having issues loading YouTube videos after installing the extension, it may be conflicting with other YouTube extensions you already have installed, such as SponsorBlock or Return YouTube Dislikes. You must disable the other extensions before you can use Trancy.
When you click on the “T,” you will get a pop-up window asking what language you speak and what language you’re learning. After you fill it out and sign in, dual subtitles will appear under the video. If the video has human-created subtitles, it will display those. Otherwise, it will display automatically generated subtitles. The generated subtitles are mostly accurate but not perfect, so watch out for missed words or strange translations.
If you click on a word, the definition and example sentences will appear on the right. The top example sentences come from the video, so you can see where else in the video that word was used.
If you are more advanced and would like to hide the translation, you can do so from the subtitle button in the bottom right corner.
To close out of Trancy and return to the standard YouTube player, click on the “X” in the upper right corner.
On Netflix, you should see a tab at the top of the screen that says “browse by languages.” This is a super useful tool for finding movies and TV shows in your target language that you can watch using Trancy.
In the “browse by languages” tab, you can sort by the original language or dub. Dubs can be useful because they use a simplified version of a language, often lacking more complex expressions or grammar. I recommend starting with dubs for animated shows if you want to try simpler content.
Useful Premium Resources
For only $26/year, Trancy has a lot of really cool and useful study features. There are five different study modes to help you actively study the words and sentences in the video you just watched. Each mode focuses on a different area, so you can have a well-rounded study session or focus on your weak points.
If you click on the practice mode icon, on the bottom right toolbar, you will be taken to the study screen. By default, it will start with speaking mode, but you can change the mode at any time in the bottom left corner.
Below is an example of selection mode, where you fill out the sentence based on what you hear. You can try out all the different study modes for free with a regular account to see if they would be useful for you.
On Trancy’s website, you can save sentences and vocabulary to review, as well as other study features. Hopefully, you find Trancy to be a useful tool you can incorporate into your study routine. Happy watching!
