LingoBinge

Get LingoBinge for Netflix

One click from the Chrome Web Store, then Netflix starts teaching you Indonesian. Works in Chrome on a computer. Safari, Firefox and mobile are on the roadmap.

Add LingoBinge to Chrome

Free. About a minute to set up.

What LingoBinge can see (and what it can't)

  • • LingoBinge runs only on netflix.com. It reads the subtitle line on screen so it can swap a few words, and nothing else.
  • • It can't see your Netflix password, your payment details, or what you do on other websites.
  • • Words you save stay in your browser. Full details in our privacy policy.
1

Add it to Chrome

Click Add LingoBinge to Chrome above. Chrome will ask you to confirm, so click Add extension.

Heads up: Chrome will say LingoBinge can "read and change your data on netflix.com". That's the feature, not a red flag. LingoBinge needs to read each subtitle line so it can swap a few words into Indonesian. The box above covers exactly what it can and can't see.

2

Pin LingoBinge to your toolbar

Click the puzzle-piece icon at the top right of Chrome, then click the pin next to LingoBinge. The LingoBinge otter stays visible so you can open its settings anytime.

3

Play something with English subtitles

Open Netflix and start any show or movie. Turn on English subtitles using the speech-bubble icon in the player. LingoBinge reads each English line and swaps a few words into Indonesian. Click a yellow word to see what it means and save it.

What to expect:

  • • The first subtitle can take 1 to 3 seconds to change while LingoBinge warms up. After that, lines update instantly.
  • • At the gentle starting level you'll see roughly one yellow word every line or two, and some lines will have none. That's deliberate: a light sprinkle you can actually absorb beats a wall of new words. Want more? Raise the slider in the LingoBinge popup.
  • • No yellow words after a minute? Open the LingoBinge popup. The status line at the top tells you what's going on (connected, waiting for subtitles, subtitles not in English, and so on).
Prefer to install manually instead? (advanced)
1

Get the extension

Get LingoBinge from the Chrome Web Store

The one-click install at the top of this page is the quickest route. This manual path exists for people who already have a packaged copy of the extension folder; if you do, skip to step 2 and load it unpacked. Otherwise, install from the store above and you are done.

2

Open Chrome's extensions page

1. Copy this into Chrome's address bar and press Enter: chrome://extensions (Chrome doesn't allow normal links to this page, so it has to be typed or pasted).

2. Find the Developer mode switch in the top-right corner of that page and turn it on. It looks like a small light switch. Three new buttons appear at the top left.

Developer mode sounds scarier than it is. It simply unlocks the Load unpacked button you'll use next.

3

Load the LingoBinge folder

1. Click Load unpacked (top left).

2. In the file window, go to Downloads, click the echo-extension folder once so it's highlighted, then click Select (Mac) or Select Folder (Windows).

3. LingoBinge appears in your list of extensions with the otter icon. Installed!

See an error about a missing manifest? You picked the zip file or a parent folder. Try again and choose the unzipped echo-extension folder itself.

4

Pin it and test the connection

1. Click the puzzle-piece icon at the top right of Chrome, then the pin next to LingoBinge.

2. Click the LingoBinge otter in your toolbar and press Test connection. A green check should appear within about three seconds.

If Test connection fails:

  • • Check you're online, then try once more. LingoBinge's server can take a moment to wake up on the very first call.
  • • Still red? Quit Chrome fully, reopen it, and test again.
  • • If it keeps failing, email me with a screenshot of the popup (button at the bottom of this page). I usually reply within a day.
5

Play something with English subtitles

Open Netflix and start any show or movie. Turn on English subtitles using the speech-bubble icon in the player. LingoBinge reads each English line and swaps a few words into Indonesian. Click a yellow word to see what it means and save it.

What to expect:

  • • The first subtitle can take 1 to 3 seconds to change while LingoBinge warms up. After that, lines update instantly.
  • • At the gentle starting level you'll see roughly one yellow word every line or two, and some lines will have none. That's deliberate: a light sprinkle you can actually absorb beats a wall of new words. Want more? Raise the slider in the LingoBinge popup.
  • • No yellow words after a minute? Open the LingoBinge popup. The status line at the top tells you what's going on (connected, waiting for subtitles, subtitles not in English, and so on).

Stuck? Found a bug? Email Lachlan, replies usually within a day.

Rather try LingoBinge without Netflix first? The web demo runs right here in your browser.