ARD Mediathek Subtitle Translator

This Firefox extension translates subtitles on ARD Mediathek videos from German to English and displays them above the original subtitles when the video is paused.

Motivation

I really like the content on ARD Mediathek, but subtitles are often in German, which presents a challenge for non-native German speakers like me. So I created this extension to help me understand the content better, while also serving as a learning tool for improving my German language skills.

Features

• Automatically detects and translates subtitles in ARD Mediathek videos.
• Ensures subtitles are in German (lang="de-DE") before translation.
• Stores translations to avoid redundant API calls.
• Displays translated subtitles only when the video is paused.
• Positions translated subtitles above the original ones.

Installation

1. Download the extension files.
2. Open Firefox and go to about:debugging.
3. Click on This Firefox (or This Nightly if using Firefox Nightly).
4. Click on Load Temporary Add-on and select the manifest.json file.

Usage

1. Open an ARD Mediathek video (https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/*).
2. Play the video, and subtitles will appear as usual.
3. Pause the video to see the translated subtitles appear above the original ones.

Technical Details

• Uses the Google Translate API to translate subtitles.
• Monitors subtitle changes using a MutationObserver.
• Stores translations in a cache to prevent repeated API requests.
• Observes the play/pause button state to determine when to display translations.

Future Enhancements

• Option to choose different target languages.
• Persistent storage for translations across page reloads.
• Customizable subtitle positioning and styling.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.