Read in one language, listen in another

Take an article you have already read in Italian and listen to it in English. You know the content, so your mind is free to follow the language instead of chasing the meaning: it's the trick of movies with subtitles, applied to things you would have read anyway. Those who study a language usually get stuck on textbook materials; here the text talks about topics that truly interest you, not the bakery dialogue from unit four.

The other use is the exact opposite, and it serves to understand more than to learn. The article you need is in English, or in German, and you read that language — but with difficulty, and by the end of the day, the effort wins. Listening to it in your language removes the obstacle without taking away the content: it’s not a summary, it’s the same piece in full, with the same things you would have read.

The most accessible proof is this page. The blog you are reading exists in four languages: the selector above changes the language of this very article, text and voice together. Thirty seconds in German say more about this mechanism than any paragraph, including this one.

And they also indicate where the machine shows. In news reporting, the translation holds up well: sentences made of dates, names, and places convey a single thing, and pass through intact. Not so with irony, nor with idioms: a title built on a double meaning either flattens out or, worse, gets explained. You will understand what happened; you won’t always grasp the tone in which it was being told to you. In a piece of news, that’s irrelevant; in a review, it’s half the piece.

There’s also something to consider if you use it for studying: listening in a language you are learning is slower. You will rewind, slow down the speed; a five-minute piece will take you ten. It’s not a flaw to correct, it’s the work you are doing. The day you stop rewinding, that text is no longer teaching you anything, and you can move on to a more difficult one.

Instant translation is part of the subscription; the free trial is to see if your languages can handle the transition before deciding on trust.

To start, choose a piece you would have read anyway, and pick a short one. A four-minute news piece is a good exercise. A twelve-minute analysis in a language you barely grasp is an act of faith, and usually ends with the screen off halfway.