Verbal

Blazing fast full-page translation powered by Google Translate

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About This Project

This project was created to demonstrate how to use Google Translate's unofficial API for free, without needing an API key. It showcases how to reverse-engineer and interact with Google's translation service.

The Discovery

Google Translate has a hidden endpoint that powers their web interface. By analyzing network requests, we discovered that translate.googleapis.com accepts direct translation requests. The trick is formatting the request correctly and parsing the response.

How We Did It

The Deno server acts as a proxy that:

1. Formats requests to match what Google expects
2. Streams responses using Server-Sent Events (SSE) for real-time translation
3. Exposes an OpenAI-compatible API (/v1/chat/completions) making it easy to integrate

The key endpoint:

https://translate.googleapis.com/translate_a/single?client=gtx&sl={source}&tl={target}&dt=t&q={text}

This is completely free and doesn't require authentication.

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What is Verbal?

Verbal is a Chrome extension that translates entire web pages instantly. Fast, clean, and free.

Features

• Full Page Translation - Translates all text on any webpage with one click
• Turbo Speed - Lightning-fast translation
• Alt+A Shortcut - Quick keyboard shortcut to translate instantly
• Auto-Translate Sites - Set specific sites to always translate automatically
• 15+ Languages - English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, and more
• Translation History - Keep track of your text translations
• Ad-Blocker Bypass - Works even with ad blockers enabled
• Non-Intrusive UI - Fun hand-drawn style progress indicator

How It Works

┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│   Chrome    │────▶│ Deno Server │────▶│ Google Translate│
│  Extension  │◀────│  (Proxy)    │◀────│      API        │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────────┘

1. The Chrome Extension collects all text nodes from the page
2. Sends them to the Deno Server (local proxy)
3. The server calls Google Translate (free, no API key needed)
4. Translated text streams back and is applied to the page in real-time

Installation

1. Start the Server

cd deno-server
deno run --allow-net --allow-env main.ts

Server runs on http://127.0.0.1:8088

2. Install the Extension

1. Open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions
2. Enable "Developer mode" (top right)
3. Click "Load unpacked"
4. Select the extension folder

3. Use It!

• Click the extension icon and hit Translate
• Or press Alt+A on any page

Configuration

Setting	Description
Target Language	Language to translate to
Speed Mode	Fast, Turbo, or Insane
Auto-Translate	Enable for specific sites

Project Structure

├── deno-server/          # Translation proxy server
│   ├── main.ts           # Deno Oak server
│   ├── deno.json         # Deno config
│   └── .env              # Environment variables
│
└── extension/            # Chrome extension
    ├── manifest.json     # Extension manifest
    ├── popup.html/js     # Popup UI
    ├── content.js/css    # Page injection
    ├── background.js     # Service worker
    └── icons/            # Extension icons

License

MIT License - feel free to use and modify!

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Made with ❤️ by Kira