Linguist: Open Source Browsers & Extensions

What is Linguist?

What it is

Linguist is an open-source browser extension, written in TypeScript and released under the BSD-3-Clause licence, that translates web pages, highlighted text, subtitles, and text inputs directly inside the browser. It lives in the browser-extension ecosystem, with builds for Firefox, Chrome, and other browsers that support extensions, and it positions itself as a standalone translation system rather than a thin wrapper around a commercial translation widget. The project declares support for 130 languages and publishes its documentation and downloads through linguister.io and its GitHub releases page.

The concrete problem it solves is dependence on commercial translation services that receive the text being translated. Linguist keeps translation on the device where possible by embedding the Bergamot translator, so text can be translated offline, and it collects no personal data. Where offline coverage is not enough, the extension accepts any translation service the user chooses, including a self-hosted backend, through a modular translator system. It also addresses the practical gap between translating something once and retaining it: a personal dictionary and translation history let users keep words and phrases they want to remember.

Key capabilities

Modular translator system that can bind to services such as Google, Yandex, Bing, DeepL, and ChatGPT, or to a custom translator module.
Offline translation on the device through the embedded Bergamot translator.
Full-page translation with flexible auto-translation configuration.
Translation of highlighted text and of any text input field.
Personal dictionary that stores saved translations, plus translation history for recently translated words.
Text-to-speech playback of translations.
Support for translating subtitles, including Netflix subtitles, and private messages.

Who uses it and how

Readers of foreign-language web pages enable full-page translation and tune auto-translation rules per site.
Language learners highlight unfamiliar words, listen to pronunciation through text-to-speech, and save entries to the dictionary for later review.
Subtitle viewers translate streaming subtitles, including Netflix, without leaving the page.
Users handling private messages translate text in place rather than pasting it into an external service.
Privacy-conscious users run translation fully offline with Bergamot; Android users install the add-on in Firefox Nightly or a Chromium browser that supports extensions.

Getting started

Firefox users install the add-on from addons.mozilla.org under the name linguist-translator, and Chrome users install it from the Chrome Web Store under the extension ID gbefmodhlophhakmoeci

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Linguist is a powerful browser extension built to replace commercial translation services — private, fast, and under your control.

Translate web pages, highlighted text, subtitles (including Netflix), and private messages; hear translations via TTS; and save entries to a personal dictionary. Supports 130 languages.

Why Linguist?

Linguist is a standalone translation system — not a thin wrapper around a commercial widget. Translate privately and offline on your device, or plug in any backend you choose (including your own; see Custom translators). See a custom translators list for popular bindings.

Linguist is free, open-source, and collects no personal data.

Features

Most important features

Modular translators system
- You can use any translation service like Google, Yandex, Bing, DeepL, ChatGPT, etc.
- Custom translators: you can use your own translator module
- Offline translation. With embedded Bergamot translator, you can translate texts right on your device. Keep your privacy
All-in-one translation solution
- Full-page translation with flexible auto-translation configuration
- Highlighted text translation
- Translate any text input
Dictionary with saved translations
Translations history, to remember recently translated words
Text-to-speech (TTS)

Installation

Get the addon for your browser:

If you have another browser, check out the GitHub Releases page. Download the package and install it manually in development mode.

Android

This addon can be used on mobile browsers with Firefox Nightly (Recommended), or with any chromium browser that supports extensions.

To try it on Firefox, you have to add the Linguist add-on to a custom add-on collection and use this collection to install the extension.

To try it on a chromium browser, download the normal extension for Chrome.

Screenshots

See more info on https://linguister.io

Development

See development docs to get info on how to build and debug.

Contribute to Linguist: file issues, suggest features, and submit pull requests. See the "help wanted" label for high-impact tasks.

Donations

Linguist is free, open-source, and collects no user data. If you rely on Linguist, back its independence and development.

How you can support:

Star the repository to increase visibility and attract contributors
File issues and suggest improvements: new issue
Help translate the UI (see the internationalization guide) and send a pull request
Contribute artwork or UX design
Reproduce and test unconfirmed bug reports: recheck
Fix bugs or implement features (TypeScript experience helpful)

Donate to vote with your money: prioritize fixes, commission features, or speed up important work. After donating, send transaction details and the issue/feature reference to [email protected] or add them in the issue comments. For significant donations, we will begin work on your request immediately.

Monero (XMR): 861w7WuFGecR7SMpuf7GX9BBUgGJb1Xdx8z5pCpMrKY2ZeZAzS3mwZeQeJGV5RPpu35fr5dURSm587ewpHYGzNuGKGroQnD
Bitcoin (BTC): bc1q2krassq0sa2aphkx37zn374lfjnthr5frm6s7y
Ethereum (ETH), Tether USDT (ERC-20): 0x2463d84F46c131886CaE457412e8B6eaBc0b91a7
Tron (TRC), Tether USDT (TRC-20): TQezzyzkfMCPJRdnYxNXrUfPj3s7kDeMBL

Supporters

Frequently asked questions

Is Linguist free to use?

Linguist is open source under the BSD-3-Clause licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does Linguist do?

Privacy-focused translation with offline capabilities

What is Linguist written in?

Linguist is primarily written in TypeScript. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/translate-tools/linguist, and it has 1,060 GitHub stars.