Pamela Colloff

Where these subtitles come from

A podcast does not come with subtitles, so podqast makes them: it listens to the episode itself, a few minutes at a time, and only around where you are listening. Nothing is done in advance, which is why the bar says how much of the episode you can read so far.

Each stretch is heard by a speech model, cut into lines at the pauses and full stops, and translated in one go — what was said on top, English under it, and the two lit together piece by piece as they are spoken.

It is a machine doing it, so it is wrong sometimes. What was said is always the line on top.

English voice

After each line pauses the episode at the end of every line, says its English, and carries on. English only says just the English, line after line, with the episode paused under it.

Whose voice

podqast’s is a natural voice made for each line the first time anyone hears it. This phone’s is free and instant, and sounds like your phone.

English size

The size of the English under each line. What was said stays as it is.

Look

Lingush sets both languages in one plain font, the original dark and the English blue. Ink keeps the serif with dark text and blue English. Quiet makes the English grey.