Mozilla releases local machine translation tools as part of Project Bergamot (blog.mozilla.org)

Article summary

Mozilla has released a local machine translation tool as part of Project Bergamot, a consortium funded by the European Union. The tool allows for website translation to occur locally on the user's computer, without sending data to the cloud. This provides a private translation experience, with features such as translation of forms and quality estimation of translations. The translation add-on is available for installation on Firefox Nightly, Beta, and General Release.

Main themes

• local machine translation
• privacy
• cloud services
• translation accuracy
• reliability
• security
• Mozilla projects
• language support

What commenters say

• Some users appreciate the local translation tool for its privacy benefits and potential to reduce reliance on cloud services.
• The tool's accuracy is not yet on par with cloud-based translation services like Google Translate or DeepL.
• There are concerns about the potential for cloud-based translation services to leak or misuse user data, making local translation a more secure option.
• Others argue that cloud-based translation services can be used privately by not sending user IDs with requests, but this may not be entirely effective.
• Local translation can also provide a more reliable and consistent experience, without the risk of downtime or decommissioning of cloud services.
• The tool's limitations, such as its current language support and potential for inaccuracies, are acknowledged by users.
• Some users see local translation as a desirable alternative to cloud-based services, even if it is not yet perfect, due to the benefits of privacy and reliability.
• The development of local translation tools is important for promoting privacy and reducing reliance on cloud services, and Mozilla's efforts in this area are appreciated.