VSCode Quick Translate
Translate selected text (or typed input) directly in VS Code. Results appear in hover, side panel, or inline — no leaving the editor, no API key.
Requires VS Code 1.84.0+
Quick Start
- Select text in the editor (or run the command with no selection to type text manually).
- Translate via:
- Shortcut:
Ctrl+Shift+T (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+T (macOS)
- Command Palette:
Quick Translate: Translate Selection
- Right-click: Context menu → Quick Translate → Translate Selection
- The translation appears in your chosen view: hover, panel, or inline.
Features
- Instant translation of selected text using Google Translate (no API key)
- Three display modes: hover tooltip, side panel, or inline decorations
- Multi-target translation — translate into several languages at once (panel mode)
- Translation history — browse recent results within the session
- Accept translation — replace the selected source text with the translated result in one step
- Re-run last translation — replay the previous translation without re-selecting text
- Smart text normalization for code identifiers (camelCase, snake_case, etc.) — optional, improves results
- Granular normalization controls — enable or disable each normalization rule individually
- Manual input when nothing is selected
- Copy last translation to clipboard
- Normalization preview — see normalized text without translating
- Large selection guard — confirmation prompt before translating very large inputs
- Status bar showing the active target language
Built for quick lookups while coding, not as a full translation suite.
Smart Text Normalization (Optional)
For code-like text (getUserName, error_code, HTTPServerError), splitting words first often gives better translations. The extension can normalize before sending to the translator:
| Pattern |
Example |
| camelCase |
getUserName → get User Name |
| PascalCase |
GetUserName → Get User Name |
| snake_case |
error_code → error code |
| kebab-case |
some-option → some option |
| dot.case |
config.path.value → config path value |
| Acronyms |
HTTPServerError → HTTP Server Error |
| Number boundaries |
version2Update → version 2 Update |
| Consecutive uppercase |
XMLParser → XML Parser |
| Mixed case |
myVar_Name → my Var Name |
- Normalization only affects the text sent to the translator; your file is never modified.
- Can be disabled globally via
quickTranslate.normalizeText or skipped per run (Translate Without Normalization).
- Each normalization rule can be toggled individually (see Configuration).
Commands
All under Quick Translate in the Command Palette (and most in the right-click context menu).
| Command |
Description |
| Translate Selection |
Translate selection or prompt for manual input |
| Translate Without Normalization |
Skip normalization for this run only |
| Re-run Last Translation |
Replay the last translation (no re-selection needed) |
| Accept Translation |
Replace selected text with the translation result |
| Copy Last Translation |
Copy the last result to the clipboard |
| Clear Last Translation |
Clear the current translation view |
| Show History |
Browse translation results from the current session |
| Normalization Preview |
Show normalized text without translating |
| Toggle Normalization |
Enable or disable normalization |
| Switch View Mode |
Cycle through: hover → panel → inline |
| Open Extension Settings |
Open Quick Translate settings |
Configuration
Namespace: quickTranslate
Core
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
sourceLanguage |
"auto" |
Source language (auto = detect) |
targetLanguage |
"vi" |
Target language |
targetLanguages |
"" |
Comma-separated list for multi-target translation, e.g. "vi,ja,de" (panel mode only; overrides targetLanguage) |
viewMode |
"panel" |
hover / panel / inline |
translateVersion |
"v1" |
Backend: v1 (JSON API) or v2 (mobile HTML fallback) |
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
maxLineCount |
50 |
Maximum lines to translate in multi-line mode. Lines beyond this are dropped. |
largeSelectionThreshold |
1000 |
Character count above which a confirmation prompt is shown before translating. Set very high to disable. |
Display
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
inlineSave |
false |
When using inline mode, automatically save the document after inserting or removing the translation block. |
historySize |
20 |
Maximum number of results to keep in the session history (1–500). History is not persisted across sessions. |
Normalization
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
normalizeText |
true |
Master switch — enable text normalization before translating |
normalizeCamelCase |
true |
Split camelCase identifiers into words |
normalizePascalCase |
true |
Split PascalCase identifiers into words |
normalizeSnakeCase |
true |
Split snake_case identifiers into words |
normalizeKebabCase |
true |
Split kebab-case identifiers into words |
normalizeDotCase |
true |
Split dot.case identifiers into words |
normalizeMixedCase |
true |
Split identifiers mixing multiple casing styles |
normalizeConsecutiveUppercase |
true |
Split runs of consecutive uppercase letters (e.g. XMLParser) |
normalizeAcronyms |
true |
Keep known acronyms intact (e.g. HTTP stays as one word) |
normalizeNumberBoundaries |
true |
Insert space between letters and digits (e.g. version2 → version 2) |
trimExtraSpaces |
true |
Collapse multiple spaces and trim whitespace before translating |
Example settings.json:
{
"quickTranslate.targetLanguage": "en",
"quickTranslate.targetLanguages": "en,ja,de",
"quickTranslate.viewMode": "panel",
"quickTranslate.normalizeText": true,
"quickTranslate.maxLineCount": 30,
"quickTranslate.largeSelectionThreshold": 500,
"quickTranslate.historySize": 50
}
Display Modes
| Mode |
Behavior |
| Hover |
Tooltip above the selection (truncated at 4000 chars in UI; full text kept for copy). |
| Panel |
Dedicated side panel; result stays until cleared or replaced. Supports multi-target translation. |
| Inline |
Non-editable decorations after each selected line. Clears when selection changes, file is edited, or editor switches. Optionally auto-saves via inlineSave. |
Behavior Notes
- Works with no selection — you can type or paste in a prompt.
- Does not modify your source code (except when using Accept Translation).
- Only the latest translation is shown; use Copy Last Translation or Show History to retrieve earlier results.
- Network connection required.
- The status bar shows the active target language and updates when settings change.
Technical Details
- Uses Google Translate (v1 JSON API or v2 mobile HTML fallback).
- No API key required.
- VS Code APIs:
HoverProvider, WebviewPanel, TextEditorDecorationType, withProgress.
Limitations
- Not for refactoring or bulk renaming.
- Translation history is session-only (not persisted across restarts).
- Quality depends on Google Translate.
- Multi-target translation is panel mode only.
- No grammar or style correction.
Installation
Development
pnpm install
pnpm run compile
pnpm run watch
pnpm run test:translate
pnpm run test:unit
License
MIT © Nguyen Mau Minh. See LICENSE for details.
