FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything about reading foreign books with PolyglotReader: what it costs, which files and languages it supports, how translation, word lookup, narration, flashcards and games work, and where your data lives.
Getting started
- What is PolyglotReader?
- PolyglotReader is a free bilingual reading app. You upload a book in the language you are learning, read it in the original, and translate paragraphs, look up words, listen to a narrator and practise flashcards as you go.
- Is PolyglotReader free?
- Yes. There is no subscription and no sign-up. You can read, translate and use flashcards without paying or creating an account.
- Do I need to create an account?
- No. Everything works without one. Your books, reading progress, flashcards and settings are stored in your browser.
- Which languages are supported?
- You can read in many languages, and the language of a book is detected automatically. Translations are available in 16 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish, Dutch, Polish and Ukrainian.
Books and files
- What kinds of books can I upload?
- EPUB, PDF and plain text (.txt) files, or text you write or paste yourself. Scanned PDFs are supported through OCR.
- Where do I find books to read?
- Project Gutenberg and Wikisource offer many public-domain books in many languages as EPUB or text. You can also use ebooks you own, as long as they are not DRM-protected.
- Can I open DRM-protected ebooks?
- No. Books locked to a store’s app cannot be opened. Use DRM-free files.
- Are there sample books to try?
- Yes. The library has a few public-domain sample books you can open straight away to see how the reader works.
Reading features
- How does translation work?
- Tap the translate button on a paragraph and its translation appears under the original. You choose when to translate, and you can hide it again.
- How is word lookup different from a dictionary?
- The lookup shows the meaning of the word in the sentence you are reading, not a list of every possible sense. For one or two words it also shows pronunciation and synonyms.
- What does the simplified mode do?
- It rewrites a page at roughly B1 level on the CEFR scale, with clearer wording and shorter sentences, while keeping the story. You can switch back to the original at any time.
- Can the app read to me?
- Yes. Every paragraph has a play button. The narrator uses the voices installed in your browser and operating system, and you can change the voice and speed.
- How do the flashcards work?
- You save words from lookups while reading. In practice mode you choose the correct translation from four options, and correct answers mark the card as learned.
- Are there games?
- Yes. Press Play in the reading toolbar to play five word games built from the page you are on: fill the blanks, type the missing word, fill the gaps, unscramble a sentence or guess a word from its letters. They use the text of your own book and your saved flashcards, so there is nothing to set up.
- What is My Dictionary?
- A searchable list of every word you saved. Words you save while reading appear there automatically, and you can add your own with Add a word and choose which meanings to keep. The same words are also used for flashcard practice.
- Do the games send my text anywhere?
- No. Games are generated in your browser from the page on screen, so they use no translation requests and work offline once the book is open. Scores last for the session and are not saved.
Privacy and offline use
- Where is my data stored?
- In your browser. Books, translations, progress, flashcards and settings are stored on your device. There is no user database on our side.
- What leaves my device?
- The text of the paragraph, word or sentence you ask to translate or simplify is sent to a translation service to produce the result. Analytics are off unless you accept them in the cookie banner.
- Can I use PolyglotReader offline?
- PolyglotReader is an installable web app. Books you have already opened and translations you have already saved are available on your device. New translations and lookups need an internet connection.
- How do I delete my data?
- Delete a book from the library, or clear site data for polyglotreader.com in your browser settings to remove everything.