MouseTooltipTranslator is a versatile browser extension providing instant, multi-language translation across web pages, PDFs, ebooks, and images via OCR. It targets users frequently encountering foreign text, offering seamless understanding without context switching, thereby breaking down language barriers directly within the browser.

How It Works

The extension intercepts text on hover/selection, routing it through Google Translate and Bing Translator. It integrates PDF.js for in-browser PDF translation and employs OCR (likely tesseract.js) for image text extraction (manga, webtoons). Additional features include text-to-speech (TTS) pronunciation via Google TTS and speech recognition for input translation. The architecture uses standard browser extension frameworks, potentially Vue.js/Vuetify.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Installation: Clone repo, npm install, npm run build. Load the build directory as an unpacked extension in Chrome/Edge.
• Prerequisites: Node.js (v18 recommended).
• Links:
  • GitHub: https://github.com/ttop32/MouseTooltipTranslator
  • Node.js: https://nodejs.org/en/

Highlighted Details

• Supports translation for web pages, PDFs, ebooks, YouTube dual subtitles, and OCR for image text (manga, webtoons).
• Features text-to-speech (TTS) pronunciation and speech recognition for input.
• Integrates multiple translation engines (Google, Bing) and OCR libraries (tesseract.js).
• Actively seeks localization contributors via Crowdin.

Maintenance & Community

Numerous contributors and active Crowdin localization efforts suggest healthy community engagement. However, the README lacks direct links to community channels (Discord/Slack) or a public roadmap.

Licensing & Compatibility

The README omits software license details, rendering usage terms ambiguous. Compatibility for commercial use or integration into closed-source projects is undetermined without clarification.

Limitations & Caveats

The primary adoption blocker is the missing license information. Building from source is required, potentially a barrier for less technical users. Functionality depends on external APIs (Google Translate, Bing Translate, Google TTS), introducing potential points of failure.