Do I have to install the app to read offline?

No. After your first visit the browser keeps a copy of the app, so polyglotreader.com opens offline in that browser. Installing it adds an icon to your home screen or desktop, which makes it easier to open without a connection.

Are word lookups saved for offline use?

Not on their own. A lookup is kept only until you close the tab. Save the word as a flashcard and it stays available offline, together with its meaning.

Does audio narration work offline?

Yes, with voices installed on your device. Voices streamed from the internet need a connection, so choose a local voice in the narrator settings before you go offline.

Does my progress sync when I am back online?

Progress is stored only on the device you read on, so there is nothing to sync and nothing to lose while you are offline. Once the connection is back, new translations and lookups work again right away.

Feature

Offline Reading: Keep Learning Without Internet

On a plane, on the metro or out of signal: your library comes with you.

PolyglotReader is an installable web app. Everything you add to it, from books and reading progress to the translations you have opened and the words you have saved, is stored in your browser rather than on a server, so it is still there when the connection drops. Only new translations and word lookups need the internet.

Free, no sign-up.

How it works

Visit polyglotreader.com once while online. Your browser saves the app, so it opens again without a connection.
Optionally install it with the Install button or your browser’s Add to Home Screen, so it is one tap away.
Open the books you want to take with you. Catalog books are downloaded and saved the first time you open them.
Translate the paragraphs you expect to need and save new words as flashcards. Then go offline and keep reading.

What works offline

Your library and everything in it: books you uploaded, catalog and sample books you have opened, your reading position and your settings.

Paragraph translations, simplified paragraphs and word explanations you have already opened. Each result is saved with the book, so it appears again instantly with no connection.

Flashcards and My Dictionary. Review, browse and search the words you have saved, or add a new word by typing its translation yourself.

Word games, which are built in your browser from the page on screen, and your daily reading goal and streak.

Audio narration with the voices installed on your device, and importing new EPUB or text files.

Podcast episodes you have already made. The script and the line translations you opened are saved with the episode, so it plays offline with your device’s voices.

What needs a connection

Anything that asks the translation service for something new: translating a paragraph you have not opened before, looking up a word, explaining a paragraph, suggesting meanings in My Dictionary, and writing a new podcast episode. Simplifying a new passage to B1 also uses the service; offline you only get a basic version that shortens long sentences.

Opening a catalog book for the first time, searching all of Project Gutenberg in a language you have not searched before, news and Wikipedia articles, and reading scanned PDFs with OCR.

Get ready before you go offline

Open each book you plan to read and page through the chapters where you will want help, opening the translations you need. Word lookups are not kept after you close the tab, so save the words you want to remember as flashcards. Make any podcast episodes you want to listen to while you are still online.

Some narrator voices, such as the “Online (Natural)” voices in Microsoft Edge, are streamed from the internet. Pick a voice installed on your device in the narrator settings if you want to listen offline.

Your data stays on your device

There is no account and no server-side library, which is what makes offline reading possible. It also means your books and progress live only in the browser you use. Clearing site data for polyglotreader.com removes them, and nothing is synced between devices.

Questions

Do I have to install the app to read offline?: No. After your first visit the browser keeps a copy of the app, so polyglotreader.com opens offline in that browser. Installing it adds an icon to your home screen or desktop, which makes it easier to open without a connection.
Are word lookups saved for offline use?: Not on their own. A lookup is kept only until you close the tab. Save the word as a flashcard and it stays available offline, together with its meaning.
Does audio narration work offline?: Yes, with voices installed on your device. Voices streamed from the internet need a connection, so choose a local voice in the narrator settings before you go offline.
Does my progress sync when I am back online?: Progress is stored only on the device you read on, so there is nothing to sync and nothing to lose while you are offline. Once the connection is back, new translations and lookups work again right away.

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