If you’re a Firefox user, you already know that one of Chrome’s typical features that Mozilla’s web browser lacks is a built-in translator that takes care of itself. And that, let’s face it, is one of the convenience features here to stay. That’s why you need to know Firefox translationsif you don’t already know her.

As you know, Chrome has its automatic translation feature, it is based on Google Translate and it works very well. And Firefox has its own: there are enough extensions for Firefox that are based on Google Translate or other translation services for the browser to enjoy this feature. In fact, the same is true for Chromium and Chrome: there are many translation extensions, including an official one from Google that extends the default capabilities of Chrome’s built-in translator.

However, there are several alternative browsers to Chrome that prefer to offer their own solutions instead of Google’s, and that works too. Mainly for two reasons: competition and privacy. So while Microsoft Edge includes a Bing-based translation feature for competitive reasons, Brave and Vivaldi do so for privacy reasons. What about Firefox? Well, after a long time one can finally confide in…

Firefox Translations, a custom translator in the form of an extension

Before there’s a shift list that says it has time, I’ll say it myself: Firefox Translations has been brewing for a long time… it’s been brewing in the Mozilla oven and can be tested in various ways, but it wasn’t. t just a few months ago the plugin has started to take shape and what is better so that they can be used with optimistic results.

I bring this up now because just last week, on the occasion of the launch of the new version of Brave, we talked about its new integrated website translator, in the cleanest style of Chrome, but respecting the privacy of users. Vivaldi is a separate case, and its translator was released more than a year ago, and unlike the others, it is more complete because, like the Chrome extension, it allows you to translate text selections and integrates with the sidebar. .. and although it draws from an online service, it does so through Vivaldi’s servers while respecting the user’s privacy.

But what about Firefox?, I repeat. Because you install Firefox, you go to the extension store and look for something that works, and the first thing you come across is a bunch of extensions, several of them recommended by the same store, that work with Google Translate. And as good as these extensions are, they’re also nothing special. If there is no alternative, still; but having it…

There is, yes: although Firefox Translations does still under development and has many details to polish and many languages ​​to add, for the common user it is ready and worth trying. The languages ​​it currently supports for production use are: Estonian Spanish, English, German, Czech, Bulgarian, Portuguese, Italian, French and Polish, while Russian, Persian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Ukrainian and Dutch are in the works.

Firefox translations

As for where Firefox Translations comes from, it does machine translation performed locally in the browser, so “there is no need to send translations to the cloud”, they explain on the Bergamot website. Additional information: “The Bergamot project implements free client-side translation software as a web extension for the open source Mozilla Firefox browser.”

For his part in Translations Firefox extensions page, from where you can install it, add: “Firefox Translations was developed with The Bergamot Project Consortium, coordinated by the University of Edinburgh with partners from Charles University in Prague, University of Sheffield, University of Tartu and Mozilla. This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.”

In terms of how it works, it’s more basic than a pitcher, as you can see in the image above. The only thing I don’t like about the extension is that it can’t be disabled in private mode, but since it’s supposedly safe in that regard…

Have you tried Firefox translations? Are you going to try them? What about?