PrivaTranslate — Support

Privacy-first web translation. Your data never leaves your device.

This document covers how to get help, frequently asked questions, and troubleshooting for PrivaTranslate.

About PrivaTranslate

PrivaTranslate is a privacy-first browser extension that translates web pages using local LLM providers (Ollama, LM Studio, OpenAI-compatible endpoints) and Chrome's built-in Translator API.

Requirements

Google Chrome or compatible Chromium browser
For local LLM providers — Install and run one of:
- Ollama — Recommended models: qwen2.5:7b, llama3.1:8b, or gemma2:2b
- LM Studio — Uses the OpenAI-compatible API surface
- Any OpenAI-compatible local server exposing /models and /chat/completions
For Chrome provider — A desktop Chrome build with the built-in Translator API available (no extra software needed)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where is my data stored?

A: Preferences are stored in chrome.storage.sync (synced across your Chrome instances). API keys are stored in chrome.storage.local (local only, not synced). Your translation requests never leave your computer.

Q: How do I configure the provider?

A: Click the extension icon → Options. Choose your provider (Ollama, LM Studio, OpenAI-compatible, or Chrome), set the Base URL if needed (e.g., http://127.0.0.1:11434 for Ollama or http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1 for LM Studio), and select your model.

Q: What is Chrome provider mode?

A: Chrome provider uses Chrome's built-in Translator API instead of a local HTTP endpoint. No Base URL or API key is required. The model is always translator. Chrome may download language packs the first time a language pair is used.

Q: Translation keeps running when I switch tabs?

A: Yes. Translation requests continue running when you switch to another Chrome tab. The MV3 background service worker stays alive while work is in progress. Transient failures are retried automatically, and failed blocks are retried once at the end.

Contact Us

For support, bug reports, or feature requests:

Feedback & Issues: Submit Feedback or Report a Problem

PrivaTranslate is currently a non-commercial product; we do not guarantee response times.