trans

Command-line language translator

TLDR

Translate text to your default language

$ trans "[text]"

Translate to a specific language

$ trans :[target_lang] "[text]"

Translate from one language to another

$ trans [source]:[target] "[text]"

Translate to multiple languages

$ trans :fr+de+es "[text]"

Brief mode (show only translation)

$ trans -b "[text]"

Listen to the translation (text-to-speech)

$ trans -p :[target] "[text]"

Identify the language of text

$ trans -id "[text]"

Start interactive mode

$ trans -shell

SYNOPSIS

trans [options] [source]:[target] [text ...]

Translate Shell (trans) is a command-line translator powered by Google Translate (default), Bing Translator, Yandex.Translate, and Apertium. It provides quick access to translation services from the terminal.Language codes follow ISO 639 standards (e.g., en, fr, de, zh-CN, ja). The source language is auto-detected if not specified. Multiple target languages can be specified by joining codes with +.Interactive mode (-shell) allows translating line by line. Audio playback requires mplayer, mpv, or mpg123. The tool can also function as a dictionary with the -d flag.

PARAMETERS

-b, -brief

Brief mode; show only the translation.

-d, -dictionary

Show dictionary definition of the word.

-id, -identify

Identify the language of the text.

-p, -play

Listen to translation via text-to-speech.

-speak

Listen to the original text.

-s, -source lang

Specify source language.

-t, -target lang

Specify target language.

-i, -input file

Read text from a file.

-o, -output file

Write translation to a file.

-shell, -interactive

Start an interactive translation shell.

-e, -engine engine

Use a specific translation engine (google, bing, yandex, apertium).

-T, -reference

Print reference table of all supported languages.

-V, -version

Print version and exit.

-H, -help

Print help message and exit.

INSTALL

sudo dnf install translate-shell

sudo pacman -S translate-shell

sudo apk add translate-shell

sudo zypper install translate-shell

brew install translate-shell

nix profile install nixpkgs#translate-shell

CAVEATS

Requires internet connection and depends on external translation services. Heavy usage may trigger rate limiting. Audio playback requires a compatible audio player (mplayer, mpv, or mpg123) to be installed.

HISTORY

Translate Shell was originally named "Google Translate CLI" and was created by Mort Yao (soimort). It was first released around 2012 to provide command-line access to Google Translate. The project was later renamed and expanded to support multiple translation engines including Bing, Yandex, and Apertium.