Firefox Translations: Translate websites in your browser without using the cloud (addons.mozilla.org)

Article summary

Firefox Translations is a browser extension that translates websites in the browser without using the cloud, providing a private translation experience. The extension is now integrated into Firefox and uses local machine translation models. The translation functionality is based on the Project Bergamot consortium's neural machine translation tools. This approach allows for offline translation and protects user privacy by not sending data to the cloud.

Main themes

• private translation
• offline translation
• cloud-based translation
• browser extensions
• privacy protection
• translation quality
• language support
• browser compatibility

What commenters say

• The offline translation feature of Firefox Translations is a significant improvement over cloud-based translation services, offering better privacy protection.
• Some users have reported issues with the extension, such as the translation button remaining grey and unresponsive, or empty language dropdowns.
• Google Translate's offline mode is not entirely offline, as it may still attempt to connect to the server even when a language pack is downloaded.
• The quality of offline translation models can be lower than their cloud-based counterparts, but they still provide a usable alternative for private translation.
• The integration of Firefox Translations into other browsers, such as Tor, would be a desirable feature for users prioritizing privacy and security.
• Some translation apps, like Microsoft's Translator, can perform offline text translation, but their image translation capabilities may not be as effective as Google Translate's.
• The limitations of offline translation models, such as limited language pairs, can be a significant drawback for users needing to translate text in multiple languages.
• The trade-off between using a potentially lower-quality offline translation model and a higher-quality cloud-based model is a consideration for users weighing the importance of privacy and translation accuracy.