ARD Mediathek English subtitles Watch German documentaries, news and dramas in English
ARD Mediathek streams programmes from Germany's public broadcasters, from city portraits to science series and TV films, all spoken in German. WatchTranslate puts an English line on the ARD player as people speak and keeps the German sentence just beneath it.
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ARD programmes speak German, and so do their subtitles
Many programmes on ARD Mediathek carry German subtitles, marked UT, which help when you read German well. The subtitles the ARD player offers are in German. WatchTranslate works from the spoken German and writes English for you as the programme plays.
- German voices with no English line on screen
- Local names and slang pass by quickly
- A long documentary is hard to follow by ear alone
- English shows up as each sentence is spoken
- The German line stays below for words you want to learn
- Started from the toolbar, on the programme already playing
English subtitles on ARD Mediathek in three steps
Install the extension
Add WatchTranslate to Chrome or Edge on a computer and pin its icon so it sits in the toolbar.
Play a programme on ARD Mediathek
Open a documentary, science show, news report or TV film on ardmediathek.de and start playback.
WTand at the same time connects them through a very unique way of life.Click the icon, then Translate this video
Open the WatchTranslate popup from the toolbar. It shows ARD Mediathek as a verified site; leave Target language on English and click Translate this video. English joins the next sentence spoken.
Built for German programmes on ARD Mediathek
Starts from the toolbar
Click the WatchTranslate icon, press Translate this video, and the programme keeps running with English added.
Listens to the German speech
Subtitles come from what is said on screen, so interviews and street voices get English lines too.
English above, German below
Read the meaning in English while the German sentence stays visible, which suits learners as much as viewers.
Follows each speaker
Every English line tracks the sentence just heard, whether it comes from a narrator or a passer-by.
Skip around freely
Move the ARD progress bar to any chapter of the programme; subtitles carry on from that point.
Choose another language
Prefer Spanish, Turkish or Chinese? Change Target language in the popup before you start.
What people watch on ARD Mediathek with WatchTranslate
Documentaries and city features
Portraits of neighbourhoods, regions and people from the ARD regional stations.
Science and knowledge shows
ARD Wissen programmes that explain research, nature and technology step by step.
News and current affairs
Reports and features on what is happening in Germany, followed sentence by sentence.
TV dramas and TV films
German fiction with dialogue in English above and the actors' own words below.
Interviews and portraits
Long conversations where every answer gets its own English line.
German listening practice
Learners keep the German line on screen and check it against the English when a phrase is new.
Are ARD Mediathek's own subtitles enough?
If you read German comfortably, the UT subtitles are a good choice. When you want English, here is how the common cases compare.
| The programme you're watching | What the ARD player offers | With WatchTranslate |
|---|---|---|
| Programme with German subtitles (UT) | German subtitles you can switch on | English from the speech, with the German line underneath |
| You want English subtitles | German subtitles (UT) on many programmes | English lines as the programme plays |
| You want another language | Subtitles in German | Any target language you set in the popup |
The ARD column reflects the ardmediathek.de web player on November 14, 2026, signed out. Check ARD Mediathek's current page.
What we tried on ARD Mediathek
On a computer with the current extension, signed out of ARD Mediathek: play the programme, click the WatchTranslate icon in the toolbar, then Translate this video.
- Works
Berlin erleben: Kreuzkölln (rbb) · German → English
“Beide Viertel gehen irgendwie ineinander über.” appeared as “Both quarters somehow blend into each other.” on the ARD player, with the German below.
- Works
Local place names kept
The neighbourhood names Kreuzberg and Neukölln, and the blend “Kreuzkölln, that's also a new word now.”, came through as spoken.
Tested November 14, 2026 · extension 0.5.809 · Chrome · signed out of ARD Mediathek
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Use your 20 free minutes on the ARD documentary or TV film you've wanted to understand.
In detail
What to do for each kind of ARD programme
| The programme | What to do | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| You read German and want German text | Switch on UT in the ARD player | Use WatchTranslate when you want English beside the German |
| A documentary, report or TV film you want in English | Click the icon and Translate this video with Target language on English | Lines follow the speech sentence by sentence |
| You are learning German | Keep the bilingual view on | Compare the German line with the English as you listen |
How WatchTranslate makes subtitles on ARD Mediathek
Where does the English come from?
WatchTranslate listens to the programme as it plays, writes down the German speech and translates it. It handles the video in 30-second segments, the one playing and the next, so the English stays in step with the voices.
How are names and places kept consistent?
Each sentence is translated alongside the ones around it, so a district, a person or a programme title reads the same way throughout. The German and English lines share one timeline and change together.
Why do some programmes show subtitles at once?
When someone has already translated the same programme into the same language, WatchTranslate reuses that result and shows it straight away.
Getting the best results on ARD Mediathek
Start where people speak
Begin at the first spoken scene of a documentary rather than a long title sequence; lines arrive sooner.
Keep the German line on screen
Regional words and place names are easy to check against the original sentence.
Pin the icon
With WatchTranslate pinned to the toolbar, the next ARD programme is one click away.
ARD Mediathek English subtitles questions
How do I get English subtitles on ARD Mediathek?
Install WatchTranslate in Chrome or Edge, play the programme on ardmediathek.de, click the WatchTranslate icon in the toolbar, keep Target language on English and click Translate this video. English lines appear on the ARD player with the German underneath.
Does ARD Mediathek have English subtitles of its own?
Many programmes have German subtitles, marked UT; the subtitles the ARD player offers are in German. WatchTranslate adds English by translating the spoken German.
Do I need an ARD account?
No. Our test ran signed out of ARD Mediathek. You need a free WatchTranslate account, which holds your free minutes.
Which programmes does it work with?
Programmes with spoken German in the ARD Mediathek web player: documentaries, ARD Wissen science shows, news reports, interviews and TV films. Our test used an rbb city documentary about Berlin’s Kreuzkölln.
Is it useful for learning German?
Yes. The German sentence stays on screen under the English, so you can compare the two and pick up words as the programme goes on.
Can I jump to a later part of a programme?
Yes. Drag the progress bar to the chapter you want and the subtitles continue from there.
Can I get subtitles in a language other than English?
Yes. Set Target language in the popup to the language you prefer before clicking Translate this video.
How much can I watch for free?
New accounts get 20 free minutes with no card, enough for a short documentary or the first part of a TV film.
Does it change the ARD video?
No. WatchTranslate shows its subtitles over the player; the programme itself plays as usual.
Is WatchTranslate made by ARD?
No. It is an independent browser extension and is not affiliated with ARD.
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