Polyglot-LLM: AI Translation for NVDA

Break down language barriers with context-aware translation powered by Google Gemini.

Polyglot-LLM is an NVDA addon that provides both real-time automatic translation and on-demand selective translation using AI. Unlike traditional translators, it understands conversation context for more natural translations.

✨ Features

Unified Translation Layer

Press NVDA+Shift+T to enter the translation layer, then:

Translation Commands:

• T - Translate selected text
• Shift+T - Translate clipboard content
• L - Translate last spoken text
• C - Copy last translation to clipboard

Mode Toggles:

• R - Toggle real-time translation (auto-translate all speech)
• M - Toggle conversation mode (context-aware translations)

Utility Commands:

• S - Announce current settings (target language, modes status)
• X - Clear translation cache for current application
• H - Show layer help
• Escape - Exit layer

Translation Modes

Real-Time Translation - Automatically translates all NVDA speech

• Enable/disable with R key in the layer
• Perfect for live chats, streaming content, or conversations
• Smart caching minimizes delays
• Works seamlessly with conversation mode

On-Demand Translation - Selective translation when you need it

• Use layer commands (T, Shift+T, L) to translate specific text
• Exit layer automatically after translation
• Perfect for emails, documents, or clipboard content

Conversation Mode

Enable with M key in the layer for context-aware translations:

• Remembers last 5-10 messages in the conversation
• AI understands pronouns, topic flow, and tone
• Example: "Which movie?" vs "Which?" - context matters
• Conversation history clears when you disable the mode
• Works in both real-time and on-demand modes

Smart Features

• Auto Language Detection - No need to specify source language
• Intelligent Caching - Reduces API costs and delays
  • Non-conversation translations cached globally (reused across contexts)
  • Conversation translations cached per-context (accurate for specific chats)
  • Per-application cache files for better organization
• Customizable System Prompt - Adjust translation behavior
• Thinking Budget - Balance speed vs quality
• Max Token Limit - Configurable with clear error messages
• Unified Layer Interface - All commands accessible from one place
• Customizable Gestures - Remap any command in NVDA's Input Gestures dialog

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

1. Download the latest .nvda-addon file from releases
2. Open the file (NVDA will install it automatically)
3. Restart NVDA when prompted

Setup

1. Go to NVDA menu → Preferences → Settings → Polyglot-LLM
2. Enter your Google Gemini API key (get one free)
3. Select your target language (e.g., Spanish, French, English)
4. Adjust settings if desired (defaults work great)
5. Click OK

Usage

For Live Conversations:

1. Press NVDA+Shift+T to enter translation layer
2. Press M to enable conversation mode (for context awareness)
3. Press R to enable real-time translation
4. Chat normally - everything is automatically translated with context
5. Press NVDA+Shift+T → R again to disable when done

For Reading Foreign Text:

1. Select text with Shift+Arrows
2. Press NVDA+Shift+T to enter layer
3. Press T to translate selection
4. Translation is spoken and copied to clipboard

Quick Status Check:

• Press NVDA+Shift+T → S to hear current settings

Clear Cache:

• Press NVDA+Shift+T → X to clear cached translations for current app
• Real-time communication

On-Demand Translation Layer

You already have on-demand gestures listed above. The layer includes:

• H - Help (list all gestures)
• V - View conversation history

Perfect for:

• Reading emails or documents
• Non-urgent translation tasks
• Reviewing clipboard content

⚙️ Settings

NVDA → Preferences → Settings → Polyglot-LLM

• API Key - Your Google Gemini API key (required)
• Target Language - Language to translate into (required)
• System Prompt - Customize AI behavior (advanced)
• Thinking Budget - Trade speed for quality (Minimal/Low/Medium/High)
• Max Tokens - Maximum translation length (default: 2048)
• Conversation Mode - Enable context-aware translation
• History Length - Number of messages to remember (5-20)

🌍 Supported Languages

Over 40 languages including:

• English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese
• Chinese (Simplified/Traditional), Japanese, Korean
• Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Russian, Turkish
• And many more...

Note: Source language is automatically detected - no configuration needed.

💡 Use Cases

• International Gaming - Communicate with players worldwide
• Language Learning - Understand native content while learning
• Global Chat Rooms - Participate in any language community
• Foreign Websites - Read content in your language
• Cross-Language Support - Help others in their native language

🎯 Important Notes

This Addon is for Short Text

• Perfect for: Messages, paragraphs, chat, selected text
• Not designed for: Long documents, articles, books
• Max token limit prevents translating very long content
• Use document translation tools for large texts

API Costs

Google Gemini Flash is extremely cheap:

• Free tier: 15 requests/minute, 1500 requests/day
• Paid tier: $0.075 per 1M input tokens
• Smart caching reduces redundant API calls significantly

Privacy

• Translations are sent to Google Gemini API
• No data is stored by the addon except cached translations (local)
• Review Google's privacy policy if concerned

🔧 Troubleshooting

"Translation failed" Error

1. Press NVDA+Control+F1 → View Log
2. Look for error details from Polyglot-LLM
3. Common fixes:
   • Check API key is correct
   • Verify internet connection
   • Check if you hit rate limits (wait a minute)
   • Ensure target language is set

Translations are Slow

1. Lower thinking budget to "Minimal" or "Low"
2. Ensure caching is working (try repeating text)
3. Check network speed
4. Disable conversation mode if not needed

Addon Won't Load

1. Ensure NVDA version is compatible (2024.1+)
2. Check NVDA log for errors
3. Try reinstalling the addon
4. Check for conflicts with other translation addons

📚 Documentation

• User Guide: This README
• Developer Guide: See DEVELOPMENT.md
• Copilot Instructions: See .github/copilot-instructions.md

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! See DEVELOPMENT.md for technical details.

Key points:

• Follow NVDA coding conventions (tabs, camelCase)
• Test both SDK and REST API modes
• Commit frequently with descriptive messages
• Don't push - maintainer handles releases

📄 License

GPL v2 - See LICENSE file

🙏 Credits

Inspired by and built upon:

• AI Content Describer - API integration patterns
• Instant Translate - Keyboard layer design
• Translate - Real-time speech interception

Powered by:

• Google Gemini 3 Flash - Fast, cost-effective AI translation

🌟 Why Polyglot-LLM?

Traditional translation services translate word-by-word without understanding context. AI models understand:

• Conversation flow - "That's cool!" → Friendly tone preserved
• Pronouns - "Is it ready?" → Knows what "it" refers to
• Slang and idioms - Natural expressions, not literal translations
• Cultural context - Adapts to language norms

This creates more natural, human-like translations that make cross-language communication feel seamless.

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Made with ❤️ for the NVDA community