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NEED to learn a new language but would rather watch TV shows instead? A new software app aims to let you do both at once.

Once downloaded, extracts the subtitle data in video footage stored on your computer or online – whether it’s a movie in the language you want to learn or YouTube footage – and presents subtitles in both your native language and your target language.

For now, Fleex teaches only English. It does not display all the English subtitles throughout a programme, as that might swamp beginners with too much information. Instead, the subtitles for their own language are shown and, initially, only a low proportion of them are also shown in English. The amount in English offered rises, under the student’s control, as their . Meanwhile, subtitles in their native language gradually drop away.

At any time, selecting a confusing word in an English subtitle will bring up a menu defining the word and outlining its common usage. Idioms and common expressions are explained, too. Fleex costs €4.90 per month on a subscription basis.

The app is part of a move towards tech-mediated language learning, with Duolingo probably the best-known app.

This article appeared in print under the headline “Smart subtitles help you learn a second language”