This is really necessary because the translation tool is quite buggy. Being allowed to have it saved into your personal space would solve many issues.

Showing audio in a popup that covers the text presents a lot of problems:
A usual expectation for an audio clip that is placed in a Wikipedia article is reading the article at the same time that you listen to the clip. A few normal scenarios are, as examples, reading the lyrics and interpretation of a traditional folkloric song, reading the lines and translations of a national anthem, or reading the musical description of a pop song or of a classical melody. A lot of the usefulness of having a media player is removed if you have the audio playing separated and covering the text, even some users might aprefer to have a link that can be opened in a new tab so they can listen and read simultaneously.

A substantially better UX would be provided if media were played inline instead opening a small popup that covers the text of the article. (example)