Mango Reader turns the internet into a language lesson. Read a news article, a recipe, or a blog in the language you’re learning, and when you hit a word or phrase you don’t know, Mango Reader shows you what it means right on the page. You can hear it pronounced and save it to your Mango vocabulary to practice later. It’s designed for learners who are ready to move beyond the course and start reading real content.
Mango Reader is free to install and comes in two versions:
- Mango Reader Chrome extension, for the Google Chrome browser on a desktop or laptop computer. It’s available in 57 languages. Download it HERE.
- Mango Reader iOS app, for iPhone and iPad. It’s available in 14 languages.
NOTE: To use either version, you need a Mango Languages profile and must sign in with it.
How Mango Reader works
Turn Mango Reader on, pick the language you’re learning, and visit any website written in that language. When you come across an unfamiliar word, double-click it. In the iOS app, tap and select it instead. A small pop-up appears with the word’s translation and audio so you can hear how it sounds. You can also highlight a whole phrase or sentence to see it translated in context, which helps when one word on its own doesn’t tell the full story.
For single words in some languages, the pop-up also includes a dictionary button and a grammar button. The grammar button opens a verb conjugation chart. Both open trusted outside reference sites in a new tab, so you can see other meanings of a word or how a verb changes form.
Learner definitions and the Learn tab
For some languages, Mango Reader can explain a word in the language you’re learning instead of translating it into English. If you’re learning Spanish, turn on “Define in Spanish” to see a simple Spanish definition of each word. This is a great way to stay immersed. For English learners, Mango Reader always gives simple English definitions rather than translations.
Spanish learners using the Chrome extension also get a Learn tab in the pop-up. The Learn tab shows:
- the word’s root form, such as the infinitive of a verb (vive → vivir)
- its part of speech
- other possible translations
- the full sentence where the word appeared, with audio
- a link to Mango’s Spanish Grammar Glossary
Save words to My Vocabulary
Mango Reader works hand in hand with your Mango course. When you find a word or phrase worth remembering, click “Add To My Vocabulary” in the pop-up. It’s saved to My Vocabulary in your Mango account for that language. Later, you can review it with Mango’s flashcards alongside the rest of your vocabulary.
Before you save, you can edit the text. For example, you might add an article to a noun (“la casa”) or change a verb to its infinitive. In the Chrome extension, new words go to your “Uncategorized” list. From the My Vocabulary page, you can move them to any list you’ve created. In the iOS app, you choose which list new words are saved to by default.
To jump straight to My Vocabulary, click the book icon with a “V” on it in the Mango Reader menu or pop-up.
Not sure what to read?
Mango’s Suggested Reading lists offer hand-picked websites grouped by topic, such as current events, sports, technology, travel, and food. In the Chrome extension, click “Learn More” at the bottom of the Mango Reader menu. In the iOS app, the Home page suggests readings for Spanish. For other languages, it offers quick search links to help you find content.
Getting Mango Reader
Chrome extension: The extension can’t be found by searching the Chrome Web Store, so use the direct link instead. You’ll find it on the Explore tab in Mango, or you can go straight to: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mango-reader/dajfkamceimkpnbipdbcgikmioedpfhg
After installing, click the Mango Reader icon in your Chrome toolbar. If you don’t see it, look under the puzzle-piece Extensions icon. Then sign in with your Mango profile and choose your language. A short tutorial walks you through the basics.
iOS app: Download Mango Reader from the Apple App Store, or find it on the Explore tab of the Mango Languages iOS app. The app works like a web browser. Search for content or type a web address, then tap words to translate them. It also has a Reader Mode that strips away ads and clutter and lets you change the text size and background color.
Use Mango Reader with movies and videos
Mango Reader isn’t just for reading. With the Chrome extension, you can use it with Netflix® and YouTube™ on your computer. Pop-up translations work on subtitles, a side panel shows the full transcript, and controls let you pause after each line, replay it, or move ahead at your own pace. The iOS app works with YouTube too. See the Netflix and YouTube tabs for details.
The Mango Reader Chrome extension works with Netflix® so you can watch movies and shows in the language you’re learning, with translations, a transcript, and playback controls designed for learners.
Mango Reader is compatible with Netflix. Mango Languages is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Netflix.
What you’ll need
- The Mango Reader Chrome extension, installed in Google Chrome on a desktop or laptop computer
- A Mango Languages profile, signed in to the extension
- Your own Netflix account
How to use Mango Reader with Netflix
- Click the Mango Reader icon in your Chrome toolbar. Make sure the extension is switched On and you’re signed in.
- Choose the language of the movie or show you want to watch. For example, select French for a French film.
- Open Netflix in Chrome and start playing a title in that language.
- Click the Mango icon on the Netflix player to open the Mango Reader settings panel.
- Choose how you’d like to watch:
- Subtitles: show subtitles in English, in the language you’re learning, or both at once.
- Show subtitle panel: opens a side panel with the full transcript, line by line, with timestamps. The line being spoken is highlighted as the video plays.
- Pause after each phrase: pauses the video after every line of dialogue so you can take your time.
- Double-click any word in the on-screen subtitles or in the subtitle panel to see its translation. To translate a phrase, highlight it. The pop-up works just like it does on a website: you can hear the audio, check the dictionary and grammar links where available, and add the word to My Vocabulary.
- Use the playback controls under the subtitles or at the bottom of the subtitle panel to set your own pace:
- switch between autoplay and pausing after each line
- go back to the previous line
- replay the current line as many times as you like
- skip ahead to the next line
- open or close the subtitle panel
What Mango Reader can and can’t do with Netflix
Mango Reader works with Netflix titles that meet all of the following:
- The title is in one of the languages Mango Reader supports.
- Netflix offers subtitles for that title in the language you’re learning.
- Netflix also offers English subtitles for that title.
Mango Reader does not work:
- With titles that don’t have subtitles in both the language you’re learning and English
- With titles in languages Mango Reader doesn’t support
- In the Netflix app on phones, tablets, smart TVs, or game consoles
- In the Mango Reader iOS app, which does not support Netflix
- In browsers other than Google Chrome
Tip: Before you start a title, check its subtitle options in Netflix. If you don’t see both the language you’re learning and English in the list, Mango Reader won’t be able to work with that title.
Mango Reader works with YouTube™ in both the Chrome extension and the iOS app. Turn videos in the language you’re learning into interactive lessons with a live transcript, tap-to-translate subtitles, and line-by-line playback controls.
Mango Reader is compatible with YouTube. Mango Languages is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by YouTube.
Using YouTube with the Chrome extension
- Click the Mango Reader icon in your Chrome toolbar. Make sure the extension is switched On, you’re signed in, and the language matches the video you want to watch.
- Open YouTube in Chrome and play a video in that language.
- Open Mango Reader in one of two ways:
- Click “Open Reader for YouTube” in the pop-up that appears at the top of the video.
- Click the Mango logo in the video’s control bar, next to the Autoplay button.
- Subtitles appear on the video, and a subtitle panel opens beside it showing the full transcript with timestamps. Click any timestamp to jump to that line.
- Hover over the Mango logo in the control bar to adjust your settings:
- turn Mango Reader on or off
- show or hide the subtitle panel
- choose a subtitle language from the options available for that video
- turn “Pause after each phrase” on or off
- Double-click any word in the subtitles or the subtitle panel to see its translation, or highlight a phrase. You can hear audio, use dictionary and grammar links where available, and add words to My Vocabulary.
- Use the playback controls to watch at your own pace. You can also use the keyboard:
- A: go to the previous line
- S: repeat the current line
- D: go to the next line
Paragraph Mode: YouTube also offers Paragraph Mode, which shows the transcript as one continuous block of text without timestamps. The current line is still highlighted as it plays. This makes it easy to read along and to highlight longer phrases that run across more than one line of dialogue.
Using YouTube with the iOS app
- Open the Mango Reader app and make sure you’ve selected the language of the video you want to watch.
- In the app’s search bar, go to YouTube and find a video in that language. You need to use YouTube inside the Mango Reader app; it won’t work in the YouTube app itself.
- When prompted, tap “View in Reader Mode.” You can also tap the Reader Mode icon to the left of the address bar.
- A subtitle panel appears below the video showing the transcript line by line, with timestamps. Tap a line to jump to it.
- Select any word or phrase in the subtitle panel to open the Mango Reader pop-up with its translation and audio. You can add it to My Vocabulary.
- Tap the Reader Mode icon again to open Reader settings, where you can:
- change the background color
- show or hide timestamps. With timestamps hidden, lines are still highlighted as they play, but you can’t tap to jump to a line.
- hide Reader Mode to return to the standard YouTube view. Mango Reader still works on other text on the page, such as the video title, but not on the subtitles shown on the video.
What Mango Reader can and can’t do with YouTube
Mango Reader works with YouTube videos that:
- are in a language Mango Reader supports (57 languages on Chrome, 14 on the iOS app)
- have subtitles available in that language
Keep in mind:
- The subtitle languages you can choose from depend on what each video offers. Many YouTube videos have subtitles only in their original language, so an English translation track may not be available. You can still use the pop-up to translate any word or phrase.
- Videos without any subtitles won’t work with Mango Reader.
- On iPhone and iPad, Mango Reader works with YouTube only inside the Mango Reader app, not in the YouTube app or in Safari.
Mango Reader isn’t showing translations at all
- Are you signed in? You need a Mango Languages profile to use Mango Reader. Click the Mango Reader icon in your Chrome toolbar. If you see “Log In to Mango Reader,” click Log In and enter your Mango username and password. Signing in to the Mango website or app doesn’t sign you in to the extension, so you’ll need to sign in there too.
- Is the extension switched on? In the Mango Reader menu, make sure the toggle at the top is set to On.
- Is the right language selected? Mango Reader translates from the language selected in its menu. If you’re reading a German website but Mango Reader is set to Italian, translations won’t work correctly. Change the language in the Mango Reader menu or on the Options page (the gear icon).
- Check your pop-up settings. On the Options page, make sure “Display pop-up when I double-click a word” and “Display pop-up when I select a word or phrase” are checked. If a trigger key is set, such as Alt, Shift, or Command, you’ll need to hold that key while you click or highlight. Set the trigger key to None if you’d rather not use one.
- Are you using Google Chrome on a computer? The extension only works in Chrome on desktop and laptop computers. On iPhone or iPad, use the Mango Reader iOS app.
- Is your language supported? Mango Reader is available in 57 languages on Chrome and 14 on the iOS app. Not every Mango course has a Mango Reader version.
I can’t find the extension in the Chrome Web Store
The extension doesn’t appear in Chrome Web Store search results. Install it using the link on the Explore tab in Mango, or go directly to: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mango-reader/dajfkamceimkpnbipdbcgikmioedpfhg
I can’t see the Mango Reader icon in Chrome
Click the puzzle-piece Extensions icon in the Chrome toolbar and find Mango Reader. Click the pin next to it to keep it visible in your toolbar.
Pop-ups keep appearing when I don’t want them
Mango Reader opens a pop-up whenever you double-click or highlight text, even when you’re doing something unrelated like editing a document. Switch the extension Off in the Mango Reader menu when you’re not using it, and switch it back On when you are.
I don’t see the dictionary, grammar, or Learn tab buttons
- Dictionary and grammar buttons appear only for single words, not phrases, and only in languages that have these resources.
- The Learn tab is currently available only for Spanish (Latin American and Castilian) in the Chrome extension.
- With “Define in [language]” switched on, the pop-up shows a definition in the language you’re learning, and the dictionary and grammar buttons don’t appear.
I added a word, but I can’t find it in My Vocabulary
- Make sure you’re looking at My Vocabulary for the same language you had selected in Mango Reader.
- In the Chrome extension, new words are saved to your “Uncategorized” list.
- In the iOS app, new words are saved to your default list. You can check or change it under Settings > Default list.
Mango Reader isn’t working with a Netflix movie or show
- Are you watching in Google Chrome on a computer? Mango Reader doesn’t work in the Netflix app on phones, tablets, or TVs, or in the Mango Reader iOS app.
- Does the Mango Reader language match the language of the title?
- Does the title have subtitles in the language you’re learning? Check the title’s subtitle options in Netflix.
- Does the title also have English subtitles? Mango Reader needs both.
- Is the title in a language Mango Reader supports?
- Is the extension switched On, and are you signed in?
- Click the Mango icon on the Netflix player and make sure Mango Reader is switched On in that panel too.
Mango Reader isn’t working with a YouTube video
- Does the video have subtitles? Videos without any subtitles won’t work.
- Are the subtitles in the language you have selected in Mango Reader? Check the video’s subtitle options in YouTube.
- Is the video in a language Mango Reader supports?
- On a computer: are you using Google Chrome, with the extension switched On and signed in? Click “Open Reader for YouTube” or the Mango logo in the control bar to start it.
- On iPhone or iPad: are you watching inside the Mango Reader app? It won’t work in the YouTube app or Safari. Tap “View in Reader Mode” to see the subtitle panel.
- If you can’t select subtitles on the video in the iOS app, Reader Mode may be hidden. Turn it back on to use the subtitle panel.
Still need help?
If you’re signed in to the Chrome extension, click “Give Us Feedback” in the Mango Reader menu to send us a message. You can also contact Mango Languages Support at support@mangolanguages.com.
Mango Reader is available in 57 languages in the Chrome extension and 14 languages in the iOS app. All 14 iOS languages are also available in the Chrome extension. In every language, Mango Reader translates into English, except English itself, which gets simple English definitions.
Chrome extension (57 languages)
- Arabic (Modern Standard)
- Armenian
- Azerbaijani
- Bengali
- Chinese (Cantonese)
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English*
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Greek
- Haitian Creole
- Hawaiian
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Igbo
- Indonesian
- Irish (Standard)
- Italian
- Japanese
- Javanese
- Kazakh
- Korean
- Latin
- Malay
- Malayalam
- Norwegian
- Pashto
- Persian (Farsi)
- Polish
- Portuguese (Brazilian)
- Punjabi (Pakistani)
- Romanian
- Russian
- Scottish Gaelic
- Serbian
- Slovak
- Spanish (Castilian)*
- Spanish (Latin American)*
- Swahili
- Swedish
- Tagalog (Filipino)
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Uzbek
- Vietnamese
- Yiddish
*Learner definitions available. For English, Mango Reader always shows simple English definitions instead of translations. For both Spanish dialects, you can choose between English translations and simple Spanish definitions. The Learn tab is also available for both Spanish dialects.
iOS app (14 languages)
- Arabic (Modern Standard)
- Chinese (Cantonese)
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- English
- French
- German
- Greek (Modern)
- Hebrew (Modern)
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese (Brazilian)
- Russian
- Spanish (Latin American)
Don’t see your Mango course listed?
Not every Mango course has a Mango Reader version. Some dialects don’t have one of their own, but you can use a closely related language instead:
- Levantine, Egyptian, or Iraqi Arabic: use Arabic (Modern Standard).
- Canadian French: use French.
- English courses for speakers of other languages (for example, English for Spanish Speakers): use English. Mango Reader shows simple English definitions, so it works for learners of any background.