There are three practical ways to translate a podcast to English. If the podcast is also on YouTube, translate its captions there for free. To listen live, play the episode on your computer and use a translator that hears your computer's audio and speaks or captions it in English, or use a live-subtitle app on your phone. To get the podcast as text, transcribe the episode and then translate the transcript.
Which one fits depends on what you want from the episode. Following a story or an interview as it plays calls for live translation. Studying, quoting or searching an episode calls for text. Below, each route step by step, with the honest limits of each.
Check first: is the podcast on YouTube or does it have a transcript?
Many podcasts publish full video episodes on YouTube. If yours does, it is the easiest case: YouTube creates auto-generated captions for many languages, and you can translate them with Auto-translate in the subtitle settings, or with the free SpeakFlow Translate extension, which shows translated subtitles in sync, can read them aloud with AI dubbing, and exports an SRT file. See how to translate a YouTube video to English.
Podcast apps have also added transcripts. Apple Podcasts shows transcripts for many episodes, and Spotify shows them on some. At the time of writing these are in the episode's own language, not translated, but you can copy text into a translator for short passages.
How to translate a podcast to English live on a computer
On a Mac or Windows PC, a translator that listens to system audio works with any podcast player: the Spotify or Apple Podcasts desktop apps, a web player, or an MP3 in your media player.
SpeakFlow Pro does this with its Watch video preset (it works the same for audio-only content):
- Download SpeakFlow Pro for Mac (macOS 14.4+) or Windows 10/11.
- Pick the Watch video preset and set the target language to English. The spoken language is detected automatically across 60+ languages.
- Start the episode in your podcast app.
- Listen to the English translation in a natural voice, read it in the floating caption panel, or both.
- Use the shortcuts to replay the last sentence or summarize the last few minutes when you drift off.
- At the end, keep the full bilingual transcript or ask for an AI summary of the episode.
The translation runs about 1 to 2 seconds behind the speakers. For interview podcasts on a specialist topic, type the topic and a few names or terms into the context settings so they come out right. You get one free hour on every computer; after that, hour packs start at $19 for 10 hours and never expire.
How to translate a podcast on your phone
Most people listen to podcasts on their phone. The SpeakFlow phone app has a Live subtitles mode that listens to the sound of other apps and floats translated captions over them.
- iPhone and iPad (iOS 17+): start a screen broadcast that only captures the sound of other apps, never your microphone. Captions appear in a floating Picture-in-Picture window while your podcast app plays.
- Android 10+: captions appear in a floating overlay on top of the podcast app.
- Pick Two languages to see the original with the English, or turn on the AI voice to hear the translation while the original is lowered.
An important limit: some apps block their audio from being captured. If captions stay empty in your podcast app, try playing the same episode in a different app or in the browser, or use a computer instead. There are free minutes every day, with no account and no card.
How to translate a podcast to text
When you want to read, search or quote an episode, a transcript is more useful than live audio. The route depends on whether you have the audio file.
If you can download the episode
Many podcasts offer MP3 downloads on their website or in their RSS feed. Once you have the file:
- Open the SpeakFlow phone app and choose Record meeting, then import the audio or video file.
- The app's AI writes a transcript and tells the speakers apart, which suits interview and panel podcasts.
- It also drafts a summary with key points, and you can ask questions about what was said.
- Export the transcript to Word (.docx) or share it as text.
Turn on Also translate and choose English before you import, and each line of the transcript comes with its English translation underneath. Recordings and imports stay on your phone. For more transcription options, see how to translate an audio file to text.
If you cannot download it
Some platforms keep episodes inside the app. In that case, use live translation on a computer and keep SpeakFlow Pro's bilingual transcript, which gives you the original and the English side by side once the episode ends.
Methods compared
| Method | Output | Works with | Cost | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Auto-translate or SpeakFlow Translate | Translated subtitles, dubbing, SRT | Podcasts published on YouTube | Free | YouTube only; needs captions |
| Podcast app transcripts | Same-language text | Apple Podcasts, Spotify (some episodes) | Free | Not translated |
| SpeakFlow Pro, Watch video | Live English voice and captions, bilingual transcript | Any app on Mac or Windows | 1 free hour, then from $19 | Needs a computer |
| SpeakFlow phone app, Live subtitles | Live English captions, optional voice | Most podcast apps on iPhone and Android | Free minutes daily | Some apps block capture |
| SpeakFlow phone app, Record meeting import | Transcript, speakers, summary | Downloaded audio or video files | Free minutes daily, then in-app plans | Transcript is in the original language |
Tips for listening to podcasts in another language
- Use headphones so the translated voice and the original do not compete in a noisy room.
- Lower the playback speed slightly for fast talkers; translation keeps up more comfortably.
- Prefer captions for learning. If you are learning the language, read the translation while hearing the original voice instead of replacing it.
- Expect harder cases with heavy crosstalk, music beds and phone-quality guest audio.
- Use the summary. For long interview episodes, an AI summary of the last minutes or of the whole episode helps you decide whether a section is worth replaying.
- Save the transcript. If a guest mentions a book, a product or a statistic, the bilingual transcript lets you find the exact sentence later without scrubbing through the audio.
Start with your next episode
If the podcast is on YouTube, start there with the free tools. Otherwise, try live translation on your computer with SpeakFlow Pro's free hour, or on your phone with the SpeakFlow phone app's Live subtitles. For other kinds of audio, see how to translate audio to English.
Frequently asked questions
Can Spotify translate podcasts?
At the time of writing, Spotify shows transcripts on some episodes in their original language but does not translate them for listeners. A live translator on your computer or phone can translate the audio as it plays.
How do I get a transcript of a podcast?
Check whether the podcast app or website already provides one. If not, download the episode file and import it into a transcription tool, such as the Record meeting mode in the SpeakFlow phone app.
Can I listen to a podcast in another language with English audio?
Yes. A desktop app like SpeakFlow Pro can speak an English translation of any podcast playing on your computer, usually 1 to 2 seconds behind the speakers.
Why don't live subtitles work in my podcast app?
Some apps block other apps from capturing their audio. Try the episode in another app or the browser, or use live translation on a computer.