Extension2 minutes
The first thing to do once the extension is installed
Sign in and bind the account: from then on everything the extension translates lands in your library, «Open at the reading desk» picks it up where it was, and the glossary is the same one the desk uses.
Docs
Product + developer documentation for Blab Translation (AI Academic Paper Translator).
Translation modes
Selection
Select text and translate via the inline button or the selection hotkey (default: Ctrl). Inline vs popup is configurable.
Hover
Hover a paragraph and press the hover hotkey (default: Shift) to toggle bilingual inline translation.
Full page
Translate the entire page while keeping the original layout and typography.
Show / hide
Hide or show translated blocks from the float ball without re-translating.
Input translate
Open the float ball menu to translate any text you paste.
YouTube captions
Real-time bilingual subtitles on YouTube — original plus your language, with a draggable, resizable, restyleable caption box.
Supported APIs
OpenAI-compatible
Works with endpoints that implement the OpenAI chat completions shape (cloud, local, or self-hosted).
Anthropic Claude
Auto-detects Claude-style endpoints (e.g. `/v1/messages`) and uses the correct request/response format.
Gemini / DeepSeek / OpenRouter
Supported via provider presets or OpenAI-compatible gateways.
Local LLMs
Use Ollama or LM Studio via an OpenAI-compatible endpoint for LAN-only translation.
Custom endpoint
Point to your own proxy, rate limiter, or internal model server.
BYO key
Blab Translation is free; you bring your own API key.
Privacy model
Direct-to-endpoint
Requests go only to the endpoint you configure in Settings.
Local / intranet option
For maximum privacy, point the endpoint to a local or intranet LLM.
No account required
No sign-up. Configuration lives in your browser profile.
Implementation notes
Manifest V3
Content scripts handle DOM/UI; a background service worker handles API calls.
Batching + concurrency
Page translation batches blocks (token/char guards) and runs requests concurrently.
Math / LaTeX placeholders
MathJax/KaTeX/MathML and plain LaTeX are preserved using placeholders.
Code + tables are skipped
Avoids corrupting code snippets and complex table layouts.
Settings storage
Saved to `chrome.storage.sync`.
i18n
UI strings are localized; the marketing site mirrors those locales.
Reference links
Read it, then go do it — the button below lands on the screen it describes.
Go to the Chrome Web Store →