Are you trying to learn a new language, and you’re using Netflix movies or TV shows as a way to practice it? Or are you having a Netflix party with your friends and not everyone speaks the movie’s original language?
It may be difficult to pause the movie and search for unknown words or translate in real-time. However, there’s a better solution as you can have dual subtitles playing at the same time on Netflix.
What Do You Need to Watch Netflix With Two Sets of Subtitles?
Netflix gives you plenty of options when it comes to customizing the subtitles. You can change the language, size, or font. However, at the time of writing, Netflix can’t play two subtitles at the same time.
Nevertheless, there are several browser extensions you can use to get around this problem:
Netflix Bilingual Subtitles is one of the best free extensions available for Chrome.
How to Watch Netflix With Dual Subtitles
Once you’ve installed the extension, head to Netflix and start playing your desired movie or TV show. Then, click on the Audio & Subtitles icon in the bottom-right corner.
You’ll notice there’s a new Secondary Subtitles menu added by Netflix Bilingual Subtitles. There, you can choose the language for the secondary subtitles. You’ll notice the number of available options will vary from one movie to another.
Once you choose the language, Netflix will play content while displaying both instances of subtitles. By default, the subtitles added by Netflix Bilingual Subtitles will be displayed at the bottom of the screen, below the original subtitles.
How to Customize Netflix Bilingual Subtitles
Having two sets of subtitles running at the same time may be a bit confusing. To make it easier, you can customize the Netflix Bilingual Subtitles settings. All you have to do is to click the extension’s icon within the address bar.
You should start by choosing the subtitles' layout. If you don’t want them to take up too much space on your screen, we recommend moving the Spacing slider all the way to the left. Also, you can easily adjust the size for both the main and the secondary subtitles.
Of course, you can adjust the subtitles through the Netflix settings menu, but Netflix Bilingual Subtitles will instantly change the subtitle's appearance. This way, you don’t have to go back and forth between your movie and Netflix’s settings.
You can check more of the Netflix Bilingual Subtitles features by clicking on the Options button. If you want a clear way to differentiate between the displayed subtitles, you can select a new color for the secondary set of subtitles.
Also, Netflix Bilingual Subtitles comes with keyboard shortcuts that you can use to control the subtitles. You can even have it repeat a subtitle, in case there was a word you didn’t understand.
Unfortunately, you can’t have two sets of subtitles while watching Netflix on the desktop app or on your smart TV. Because of the extra space taken by the subtitles, we recommend connecting your laptop to a bigger screen.
Can You Use Netflix Bilingual Subtitles on Other Browsers?
While you can get the Netflix Bilingual Subtitles extension through the Chrome Web Store, you can use it on other browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or Microsoft Edge. After all, Google Chrome isn’t necessarily the best browser to watch Netflix.
Add Another Set of Subtitles and Customize Them
While it may take a while to get used to, watching Netflix with two sets of subtitles can be helpful if you’re trying to learn a new language. Because these browser extensions aren’t developed by Netflix, you may run into the occasional glitch. When this happens, update the extensions or switch to a different browser.