🌍 Babel Lens

Instantly translate code comments into 40+ languages directly in VS Code!

Break down language barriers in your coding journey. Whether you're working with international teams, contributing to open-source projects, or learning from code written in different languages, this extension makes every comment accessible.

✨ Features

🎯 Smart Comment Detection

• Automatically detects comments in any programming language
• Supports multiple comment styles: //, #, /* */
• Works with all file types: JavaScript, Python, Java, C++, HTML, CSS, and more

🌐 40+ Languages Supported

Choose from a comprehensive list of languages including:

• European: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian
• Asian: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malay
• Indian: Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Urdu
• Middle Eastern: Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish
• And many more!

🔄 Multiple Translation Options

After translation, choose what to do:

• 📋 Copy Translation - Copy to clipboard for easy sharing
• 🔄 Replace Comment - Replace original with translation
• ➕ Insert Below - Add translation as new comment line (preserves original)

⚡ Batch Processing

• Translate All Comments - Process entire files at once
• Intelligent duplicate detection - won't re-translate existing translations
• Language labels for easy identification: [Spanish], [Hindi], etc.

🎨 Seamless Integration

• CodeLens Integration - Click "🌍 Translate" directly on comment lines
• Context Menu - Right-click access to batch translation
• Command Palette - Quick access via Ctrl+Shift+P

🚀 Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Babel Lens"
4. Click Install
5. Start translating immediately!

📖 How to Use

🎯 Translate Individual Comments

1. Open any code file with comments
2. Look for the "🌍 Translate" CodeLens above each comment
3. Click on it to open the language selection menu
4. Choose your target language from the dropdown
5. Select an action:
   • Copy translation to clipboard
   • Replace the original comment
   • Insert translation below original

📝 Translate All Comments

Method 1: Context Menu

1. Right-click anywhere in your code file
2. Select "Translate All Comments"
3. Choose your target language
4. Watch as all comments get translated!

Method 2: Command Palette

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
2. Type "Comment Translator: Translate All Comments"
3. Select your language
4. All comments are translated instantly!

💡 Example Usage

Before:

// Calculate fibonacci sequence recursively
function fibonacci(n) {
    // Base case for recursion
    if (n <= 1) {
        return n;
    }
    // Recursive call
    return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2);
}

After (with Spanish translation):

// Calculate fibonacci sequence recursively
// [Spanish] Calcular la secuencia de fibonacci recursivamente
function fibonacci(n) {
    // Base case for recursion
    // [Spanish] Caso base para la recursión
    if (n <= 1) {
        return n;
    }
    // Recursive call
    // [Spanish] Llamada recursiva
    return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2);
}

🌟 Benefits

👥 For International Teams

• Bridge Communication Gaps - Understand comments written by team members in different languages
• Inclusive Collaboration - Make your code accessible to developers worldwide
• Cultural Exchange - Learn technical terms in different languages

🎓 For Learning & Development

• Study Open Source - Understand comments in foreign repositories
• Language Learning - See technical translations in context
• Code Comprehension - Break down language barriers when learning from others

💼 For Professional Work

• Code Reviews - Understand comments regardless of author's language
• Legacy Code - Translate old comments to current team language
• Documentation - Create multilingual documentation from code comments
• Client Projects - Work with codebases from international clients

🔓 For Open Source

• Global Contribution - Contribute to projects in any language
• Accessibility - Make your projects welcoming to international contributors
• Knowledge Sharing - Help others understand your code regardless of language

🛠️ Technical Details

Supported Comment Styles

• // Single line comments (JavaScript, C++, Java, C#, etc.)
• # Hash comments (Python, Shell, Ruby, YAML, etc.)
• /* Block comments */ (CSS, JavaScript, C, etc.)

File Type Support

Works with any file type VS Code can open:

• Programming languages: .js, .py, .java, .cpp, .cs, .php, .go, .rs
• Web technologies: .html, .css, .scss, .vue, .react
• Configuration: .json, .yaml, .xml, .toml
• Scripts: .sh, .bat, .ps1
• And many more!

Translation Service

• Uses MyMemory API - free and reliable translation service
• No API keys required - works out of the box
• Privacy-focused - translations are not stored or logged
• Rate limiting built-in - respectful API usage

🚀 Performance

• Lightning Fast - Translations appear in seconds
• Lightweight - Minimal impact on VS Code performance
• Offline Friendly - Only requires internet for translation requests
• Smart Caching - Avoids duplicate translations

🔧 Configuration

No configuration needed! The extension works perfectly out of the box.

Optional Settings (coming soon):

• Default target language
• Custom translation services
• Keyboard shortcuts

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

1. Report Bugs - Found an issue? Let us know!
2. Request Features - Have ideas? We'd love to hear them!
3. Add Languages - Help us support more languages
4. Improve Translations - Suggest better translation services

📋 Roadmap

• [ ] Custom Translation Services - Add support for Google Translate, Azure Translator
• [ ] Offline Translation - Local translation models
• [ ] Translation History - Keep track of translated comments
• [ ] Team Settings - Shared translation preferences
• [ ] Auto-detection - Automatically detect comment language
• [ ] Batch Export - Export translations to files

🐛 Troubleshooting

Translation Not Working?

1. Check your internet connection
2. Ensure the comment text is not empty
3. Try a different target language

CodeLens Not Appearing?

1. Make sure the file contains recognizable comments (//, #, /* */)
2. Restart VS Code if needed
3. Check that the extension is enabled

Performance Issues?

1. Use "Translate All Comments" sparingly on very large files
2. The extension includes built-in rate limiting for API calls

📄 License

This extension is free and open-source. Feel free to use it in personal and commercial projects.

💝 Support

If you find this extension helpful:

• ⭐ Star this repository
• 📝 Leave a review on the VS Code Marketplace
• 🐛 Report issues to help us improve
• 💡 Suggest features for future releases

🔗 Links

• VS Code Marketplace: Install Extension
• GitHub Repository: Source Code
• Report Issues: Bug Reports
• Feature Requests: Suggestions

Made with ❤️ for the global developer community

Break down language barriers, one comment at a time! 🌍