KISS Translator: A Minimal Bilingual Translation Extension That Just Works
Translating text on the web is usually a mess. You either get clunky popups, full-page redirects, or extensions that track everything you read. KISS Translator breaks that pattern. It's a tiny, open source browser extension that does one thing well: show bilingual translations side by side, no friction, no telemetry.
I found this project on GitHub and it honestly made me rethink how simple a translation tool can be. It's called KISS for a reason. Keep It Simple, Stupid. And it delivers.
What It Does
KISS Translator is a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that translates selected text on any webpage. But instead of replacing the original text or popping up a modal, it inserts the translation directly below or beside the original text. You get a clean, bilingual view without leaving the page.
It supports multiple translation engines including Google Translate, DeepL, and OpenAI. You can set your default and fallback engines. The translation appears instantly after you select text and press a hotkey or click a button.
Why It's Cool
First, the privacy angle. The extension runs locally and only sends text to the translation service you choose. No data collection, no analytics, no third party snooping. The source code is MIT licensed and sits at github.com/fishjar/kiss-translator for anyone to audit.
Second, the UX is refreshing. Most translation tools either replace the text (which breaks context) or open a separate window (which kills flow). KISS Translator keeps everything in place. You see both languages at once, which is actually how most people learn a language or check meaning.
Third, it's surprisingly configurable. You can change the hotkey, choose which translation engine to use per session, and even customize how the translated text appears (inline, below, or in a tooltip). The codebase is small and clean, so if you're a developer, you can easily fork it and add your own engine or tweak the behavior.
How to Try It
You have two options. If you just want to use it, grab the extension from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons. Both are linked from the README on GitHub.
If you want to play with the code, clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/fishjar/kiss-translator.git
cd kiss-translator
npm install
npm run dev
Then load the unpacked extension in your browser's developer mode. The README has clear steps for that.
Final Thoughts
KISS Translator isn't trying to be everything. It's not a translation API wrapper, not a full language learning tool, not a privacy shield. It's a focused, minimal extension that solves a real pain point for developers and power users who read a lot of non-native content. If you often find yourself switching between pages or reaching for DeepL tabs, give it a try. It might become one of those tools you forget you're using until it's not there.
Follow @githubprojects for more developer tools and open source findings.