Note
This project is a modernized fork of the original translate-assistant extension by Lorenzo Carbonell (atareao).
Fast Translate for GNOME Shell is a GNOME Shell extension that brings Google Translate and DeepL-powered translation directly into your desktop — translate text from a panel popup or trigger instant clipboard translation with a double-copy shortcut.
- Panel menu translator — a clean popover accessible from the GNOME top bar lets you type or paste text and translate it instantly.
- Inline language selector — switch source and target languages directly inside the popup using a flag-emoji grid, no settings window needed.
- Double-copy translation — press the copy shortcut (
Ctrl+CCtrl+C) twice in rapid succession to trigger instant translation. Choose between displaying the result in a floating window, or running silently in the background to auto-copy the translation directly to your clipboard for immediate pasting (Ctrl+V). - Configurable shortcut — the clipboard-translate keybinding can be customised in the extension preferences.
- Multiple Backends — choose between Google Translate (works instantly out-of-the-box, no key required) and DeepL (Free & Pro tiers).
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| GNOME Shell | 45 – 50 |
| DeepL API key | (Optional) Free or Pro — only needed if choosing DeepL as your active provider |
- Visit the Fast Translate page on extensions.gnome.org. (Note: The extension will be submitted under Fast Translate)
- Toggle the switch to On — the browser integration installs and enables the extension automatically.
Once enabled, the extension icon appears in the GNOME top bar. Click it to open the translation popup, type or paste text, choose your languages, and hit Translate.
Copy any text normally, then press Ctrl+C a second time within ~500 ms. Depending on your preferences:
- Default mode: A floating window appears with the translated result — no focus stealing, no screen dimming.
- Background mode: The translation runs silently in the background and automatically updates your clipboard, allowing you to instantly paste (
Ctrl+V) the translated text without distraction. An optional desktop toast notification is shown on completion.
Open GNOME Settings → Extensions → Fast Translate → Settings to configure:
- Active translation service (Google Translate or DeepL)
- DeepL API key & URL (automatically hidden when Google Translate is selected)
- Default source and target languages
- Clipboard-translate keybinding
- Auto-translate behavior
- Dark/light theme icons and notifications
- Double-copy Background Mode (enable silent clipboard-to-clipboard translation)
- Show Notification in Background Mode (enable/disable completion toasts)
- Fork this repository.
- Create a branch:
git checkout -b <branch_name>. - Make your changes and commit them:
git commit -m '<commit_message>' - Push to the original branch:
git push origin <branch_name> - Create a pull request.
See the GitHub docs on creating a pull request for help.
Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):
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| Philipp Kiemle | Fabrício Müller | Heimen Stoffels | Lorenzo Carbonell |
| 💻 | 💻 | 💻 | 💻 |
MIT © Lorenzo Carbonell Cerezo (atareao) & contributors
This project is a fork of the original atareao/translate-assistant extension by Lorenzo Carbonell Cerezo, licensed under the MIT License. Significant features (including Google Translate default backend, Ctrl+C+C double-copy instant translation, background mode, inline flag-emoji grid selection, high-DPI scaling, and integration tests) were added in this fork.