Linguist is not just another browser extension. It’s a full-featured translation system that respects your privacy. Translate offline on your device, use any translation service (including your own like ChatGPT), and explore custom translator options. It’s free, open-source, and does not collect personal data.
Linguist
Official website github.com/translate-tools/linguist/#readme
Our take
More ambitious than the average translate extension, with offline on-device translation and the option to point it at your own translation backend, which is genuinely rare. The cost of that flexibility is setup: getting offline models or a custom service running is more work than a one-click add-on. Pick Linguist when you want translations that can stay entirely on your machine and you’re willing to configure it. If you just want a quick page translation with no fuss, a lighter front-end will get you there faster.
GitHub at a glance
translate-tools/linguist
Stars
1,008
+ 9 this week
Last commit
12d ago
healthy
License
BSD-3-Clause
Latest release
v7.0.5
3mo ago
Stars, last 10d
Listed in
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Linguist license, in plain English
BSD-3-Clause Permissive
Permissive: use and modify freely. You just keep the notice and do not use the authors' names to endorse your version.
Permits
- Commercial use
- Modification
- Distribution
- Private use
Requires
- License and copyright notice
Does not provide
- Endorsement using author names
- Liability cover
- Warranty
Why it matters: Permissive licensing lets anyone reuse this, including inside closed products. That is freedom to build on, but no guarantee that downstream copies stay open.
Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.