Vernac

A Firefox-first browser extension for translating text on any page. Paste text, translate selections, scan full pages, and optionally use your own DeepL key.

Currently pending approval - available soon on the Firefox Add-ons store · GPL v3 License

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Features

• Paste mode - paste or type text directly into the popup
• Selection mode - select text on a page and translate it from the floating Vernac button
• Scan Page mode - extract readable page text and translate it chunk by chunk
• Chunk mapping - click translated chunks to highlight their source text on the page
• In-place translation - replace page text directly, with one-click revert
• Context menu translation - right-click selected text and choose Translate with Vernac
• Google Translate by default - works without an account or API key
• Optional DeepL support - enter your own DeepL Free or Pro API key in settings
• 65+ languages - includes auto-detect source language support
• Sidebar or popup view - choose how Vernac opens from settings
• Dark, light, and system themes - shared across popup, sidebar, and settings
• Local preferences - target language, theme, font size, and view mode stay on your device

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Installation

From the Firefox Add-ons store

Search for Vernac on addons.mozilla.org.

Load locally (for development)

1. Clone or download this repo
2. Open Firefox and navigate to about:debugging
3. Click This Firefox -> Load Temporary Add-on
4. Select manifest.json from the project folder

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Project structure

vernac/
|-- manifest.json          # Extension manifest (MV3)
|-- background.js          # Context menu, toolbar state, and message routing
|-- content.js             # Floating button, page scanning, sidebar bridge, highlights
|-- content.css            # Styles injected into pages
|-- shared/
|   |-- messages.js        # Shared message constants
|   `-- storage.js         # DeepL key loading and migration helper
|-- popup/
|   |-- popup.html         # Popup/sidebar UI
|   |-- popup.css          # Main UI styles
|   |-- popup.js           # Translation, scan, settings, and sidebar logic
|   |-- settings.css       # Settings page styles
|   |-- settings.html      # Settings page
|   |-- settings.js        # Settings behavior
|   `-- theme-tokens.css   # Shared light/dark theme variables
|-- scripts/
|   `-- check-message-constants.js
`-- icons/                 # Extension icons

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How it works

Vernac runs as a plain JavaScript browser extension with no build step.

• content.js detects selections, injects the floating button, scans page text, and manages the in-page sidebar
• popup/popup.js handles translation requests, scan output, chunk navigation, in-place replacement, and user preferences
• background.js owns the context menu, toolbar action state, and browser message routing
• shared/messages.js keeps message names consistent across extension contexts

By default, Vernac uses Google's public translate endpoint. Users can switch to DeepL by saving their own API key in settings. DeepL keys are stored in browser session storage unless the user chooses to remember the key on this device.

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Privacy

• No analytics
• No tracking
• No account required
• Preferences are stored locally in browser storage
• DeepL keys are stored in session storage by default, with optional local remember
• Page text is sent only to the selected translation provider when you request translation

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Support

Vernac is free, open source, and always will be. If it's useful to you, a small Bitcoin tip is appreciated but never expected.

BTC: bc1qwfdml65sjj8gevakezxpeyex53q09sa2j8u2dh

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License

GPL v3 - see LICENSE