Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up most, answered as directly as we can. The support page covers what to do when something is actually broken; this page is for how E-clair behaves when it is working.
Is E-clair right for me?
Can I use E-clair to learn a language from podcasts I already listen to?
Yes — that is what it is built for. Subscribe to a show by name or by pasting its RSS feed, open an episode and transcribe it, then read along word by word as it plays, tap anything you did not catch to translate it, and save what is worth keeping to your notebook. Podcasts are handled generously on the free plan.
Is E-clair an alternative to LingQ, Language Reactor, or Readlang?
For one thing in particular: studying audio you bring yourself. Those tools are built around a content library, a streaming overlay, or web text you read. E-clair starts from your own audio — your recordings, a web link, or any podcast — and turns it into a word-level transcript you can read along with, translate on tap, and review. If you want a ready-made catalogue, they may suit you better; if you want to study the audio you already listen to, that is E-clair.
Can I turn my own recordings into language lessons?
Yes. Upload an audio file, or paste a link to audio on the web, and E-clair transcribes it into a word-level transcript synced to playback — the same study session you get from a podcast episode. There is a monthly limit on transcribing your own audio on the free plan; the app tells you if you reach it.
Getting audio in
Which audio files can I upload?
MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, OGG, FLAC and AIFF. The file picker filters to those, so anything it lets you choose will work.
Can I upload a video file?
No. MP4 and other video files are not offered in the upload picker. If the audio you want is in a video on the web, pasting the link is the way in rather than uploading a file.
Is there a limit on how much of my own audio I can transcribe?
On the free plan, yes — both on how large a single file can be and on how much you can transcribe in a month. You do not have to keep count: if you reach either one, E-clair tells you at the moment it happens and offers the upgrade. Podcast episodes are treated separately and more generously.
Does transcription start on its own?
For anything you upload or paste a link to, yes — it begins as soon as the item is added. A podcast episode is the exception: you open it and tap Transcribe.
How long does transcription take?
It depends on how long the recording is, and it runs in the background — you can leave the screen or close the app and come back to it. If something looks stuck, the support page has the steps for that.
Language support
Do I have to tell E-clair what language my audio is in?
No. The language is detected from the audio itself, so there is nothing to set before you start.
Which languages can I translate into?
Sixteen: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish, Dutch, Polish and Swedish. You pick yours once, under Translation language on the Me tab, and every translation comes back in it.
Why does one word show a dictionary entry and grammar tables while another shows only a translation?
Translation and the dictionary are two different things. Every word can be translated; the dictionary entry underneath — the base form, the part of speech, the conjugation and declension tables — comes from a reference database whose coverage varies by language and by word. When there is no entry, the card simply shows the translation and leaves that section out. Nothing has gone wrong.
Can I read a language that does not use the Latin alphabet?
Yes. Whichever reading font you choose falls back to a font with broad script coverage for characters it does not have, so Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cyrillic, Arabic and Devanagari all render properly.
Reading, offline use and settings
Does E-clair work without a connection?
Partly. Transcribing needs one, because the work happens on our servers, and so does looking up a word for the first time. Translations and dictionary entries you have already seen are kept on the device, so going back over a transcript you have studied before still works offline.
Do my reading settings follow me to another phone?
No. The reading font, text size, theme and highlight style are stored on the device you set them on, so a new phone starts from the defaults. Your library, notebook and flashcards do follow your account.
Does my listening time follow my account?
Yes. Listening is recorded against your account rather than the device, so the log stays right if you switch phones.
Account and privacy
Do I need to create a password?
No. You sign in with Google or with Apple, and E-clair never asks you to invent a password. On Android, Google is the only option offered.
What happens to my audio?
It is stored so it can be transcribed and played back to you, and deleting a recording removes its audio, transcript and summary. The privacy policy is the authoritative account of what is kept and for how long.
Not answered here?
The support page covers stuck transcriptions and account deletion, and the privacy policy is the authoritative account of what we store. If neither has your answer, email us.
support@e-clair.app