Getting started
The fastest way to understand E-clair is to take one recording all the way through it. This page walks that path once, end to end: sign in, add something to listen to, wait for the transcript, and turn a word you did not know into a flashcard.
What you need
- E-clair on your phone — iOS or Android.
- A Google or Apple account to sign in with. There is no password to create.
- Something to listen to. A podcast you already follow is the easiest start; a voice memo or a lecture recording works just as well.
Sign in
Open the app and choose Continue with Apple or Continue with Google. E-clair opens your browser for the provider to handle sign-in, then returns you to the app already signed in. On Android, Google is the only option shown. Nothing else is asked of you — there is no profile to fill in and no email to verify.
Set your translation language
Go to the Me tab and tap Translation language. This is the language translations come back in, so set it before you start reading rather than after — it is the difference between a translation you can use and one you have to translate again. Appearance lives on the same screen if you want a dark theme now.
Add something to listen to
On the Library tab, tap Add. Four ways in: Browse podcasts to search shows by name, Add RSS feed to paste a feed URL, Audio URL to paste a link to audio on the web, or Upload audio to pick a file off your phone. For a first run, a podcast episode in the language you are learning is the least effort.
Wait for the transcript
Uploads and pasted links start transcribing the moment they land — you do not have to ask. A podcast episode is different: open it and tap Transcribe. Either way the row shows live progress while it works, and you can leave the screen or close the app; the transcript is waiting when you come back.
Read along, and translate what you do not know
Open the recording. The transcript follows the audio word by word, so you always know where you are. Tap a word and its translation comes to you — the audio keeps playing and the transcript does not move. Press and hold instead, and you get the whole phrase translated. Double-tap a word to send the audio back to that phrase and hear it again.
Save one word, then review it
From that translation card, save the word to your Notebook. It keeps the timestamp it came from, so you can always hear it in context again. Go to the Flashcards tab and it is there, ready to review. That is the whole loop — everything else in this guide is detail on one of these six steps.
What each tab is for
Four tabs, and they map onto the loop: audio comes in on the left, and review happens on the right.
- Library
- Everything you have added, plus your podcast subscriptions. This is where audio comes in and where you open it to read.
- Notebook
- The words and phrases you saved, each anchored to the moment it came from. Tag them here to keep them sorted.
- Flashcards
- Your Notebook as review decks. Recognise a card, or type the answer out.
- Me
- Translation language, appearance, linked accounts, and account deletion. Feedback goes from here too.