My translation extension now does live YouTube subtitles in 107 languages, with a built-in dictionary for learners
I'm building a Chrome extension for translation (Fenly), and I just shipped the feature I'm most excited about: live YouTube subtitle translation.
You open a video in a language you don't speak, hit the Fenly button in the player, and pick your language. Each caption line gets translated as the video plays, with the original and the translation on screen together so you can follow both. 107 languages, and you can resize the subtitle box or drag it wherever it sits best.
The part I care about most is for people learning a language. There's a dictionary built in - you're watching a Korean cooking channel and a word stops you, you click it, and a popup gives you the meaning. One tap saves it to a word library you can go back to later. So instead of just watching a translated video, you're actually picking up words as you go.
It's YouTube only for now, and I'm working on adding more platforms. A free account covers 2 videos if you want to try it on something you'd watch anyway: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/fenly/dagjoegkilhcnnamddaoneeabgmioghn
If you do, I'd love to hear what breaks or what's missing - it's early and I'm fixing things fast.
The learner angle is the clever part. Turning a video you'd watch anyway into vocab practice removes the thing that usually kills language learning, which is having to set aside separate study time. The one tap to save a word to a library is what makes it actually stick.
This feels like the difference between “translation” and “comprehension.” Most tools stop at converting text, but the real value is in keeping the viewer in flow while still learning from the content. The built-in dictionary + passive capture loop is what makes it more than just subtitles.
Yeah, that line between converting text and actually understanding it is exactly the thing I kept circling on. Translated subtitles make a video watchable, but you finish and barely remember any of it. The dictionary is one deliberate click on purpose - I wanted looking a word up to be active enough that it sticks, but cheap enough that it doesn't pull you out of the video. That tension was most of the design work.
You're welcome.
One thing I'm curious about is whether that persistence is shaping how you're making product decisions today.
Sometimes the mindset that gets a product built isn't the same one that helps it grow. I'm interested in whether you've noticed that yourself.