LingVa User Manual

1. Introduction

LingVa is a lightweight, free, open-source Chrome translation extension that supports the following core features:

• Popup translation: click the toolbar icon and type text in the popup to translate it.
• Selection translation: select any text on a webpage and click the translate button that appears.
• Multiple engines: a built-in, configuration-free engine works out of the box; you can also connect Baidu, Google, Microsoft, or Youdao Translate, or configure your own translation backend.
• Translation history: automatically keeps the last 100 translations, shared across the popup, floating ball, and selection translation entry points, along with the common-language list.

2. Popup Translation

Click the LingVa icon in the browser toolbar to open the translation popup.

1. 1
   Choose languages

   Pick a source language on the left (supports "Auto Detect") and a target language on the right; translated target languages appear as quick-switch chips above the input box under "Common".
2. 2
   Enter text

   Type or paste the text you want to translate, up to 1024 characters.
3. 3
   Translate

   Click "Translate" and the result will appear below shortly.
4. 4
   Copy or re-translate

   Click "Copy" below the result to copy it to the clipboard; the refresh icon next to it re-runs the translation with the current text.

3. Selection Translation

On any webpage, select a piece of text with your mouse (or Shift + arrow keys) to trigger selection translation.

1. 1
   Select text

   Drag to select the text you want to translate on the page.
2. 2
   Click the translate button

   After releasing the mouse, a "Translate" button appears near the selection — click it.
3. 3
   View the result

   The translation shows in a floating panel; drag the result area to move the panel. Below it you can switch the target language, copy the result, or pin the panel with the pin icon — pinned panels stay open when you click outside them.

Turning it off: if you don't need this feature, enable "Disable Selection Translate" under Settings → General. Once enabled, selecting text on any page will no longer show the translate button or panel.

Successful translations are automatically added to the history at the bottom of the popup, and the chosen target language is synced to the popup's "Common" quick-switch chips.

4. Floating Ball

The floating ball is a persistent shortcut in the corner of the page; clicking it opens an independent translation panel without switching back to the extension popup. Enable "Show Floating Ball" under Settings → General to make it appear on every matching page.

1. 1
   Open the panel

   Click the floating ball to open the translation panel; click it again to minimize the panel without losing what you typed.
2. 2
   Enter text

   Type or paste text into the panel's input box; translation starts automatically after a short pause, no extra click needed.
3. 3
   View the result

   The result appears below; you can switch the target language, click the refresh icon to re-translate, or click "Copy" to copy the result.
4. 4
   Move or pin the panel

   Drag the title bar to move the panel; click the pin icon on the right of the title bar to pin it — pinned panels stay open when you click outside them.

Successful translations are likewise added to the popup's history and "Common" quick-switch chips, sharing the same record with the popup and selection translation.

5. Translation Engine Setup

LingVa ships with a ready-to-use built-in engine, four optional third-party engines, and a custom endpoint feature for connecting your own translation backend. All engines share one configuration UI: on Settings → Translation Engines, click an engine card to make it the active engine — only one engine is active at a time. Click "Configure" on an unconfigured engine card to expand its form; the custom endpoint is configured separately under Settings → Custom Endpoint.

Built-in Translate No setup needed Default

Powered by the Google Translate service, ready to use immediately after installation — no account or API key required. Suitable for most everyday translation needs.

Custom Endpoint Advanced

If you run your own translation service (a local LLM, a private API gateway, an enterprise translation platform, etc.), enter its URL and an optional token under Settings → Custom Endpoint. LingVa will call it following the specification below.

API Specification

Baidu Translate Generous free tier

Baidu AI Open Platform offers 1,000,000 free characters per month — plenty for everyday use.

1. 1
   Create an account

   Sign up and log in at the Baidu AI Open Platform.
2. 2
   Enable Machine Translation

   Go to Products → Machine Translation and click "Use Now" to enable the service.
3. 3
   Create an application

   Create an app in the console, enable the "Machine Translation" capability, and get your App ID and API Key.
4. 4
   Enter it into LingVa

   Under Settings → Translation Engines → Baidu Translate → Configure, enter:
   App ID — your console's App ID
   Bearer Token — your console's API Key

Google Translate High quality

Google Cloud Translation API offers excellent translation quality, with 500,000 free characters per month and pay-as-you-go pricing beyond that.

1. 1
   Create a Google Cloud project

   Go to the Google Cloud Console and create a new project (or use an existing one).
2. 2
   Enable the Translation API

   In "APIs & Services" → "Library", search for "Cloud Translation API" and enable it.
3. 3
   Create an API key

   In "APIs & Services" → "Credentials", click "Create Credentials" → "API key" and copy the generated key.
4. 4
   Enter it into LingVa

   Under Settings → Translation Engines → Google Translate → Configure, enter the API key.

Microsoft Translate Generous free tier

Azure AI Translator offers 2,000,000 free characters per month on the F0 free tier, with excellent quality and 100+ supported languages.

1. 1
   Create an Azure account

   Sign up and log in at the Azure Portal (a credit card is required, but the F0 tier is free).
2. 2
   Create a Translator resource

   Search for "Translator" under "Create a resource", choose the free F0 pricing tier (2M characters/month), pick a region (e.g. East Asia), and create it.
3. 3
   Get the key and region

   Once created, go to "Keys and Endpoint" and copy "Key 1" and the "Location/Region" value.
4. 4
   Enter it into LingVa

   Under Settings → Translation Engines → Microsoft Translate → Configure, enter:
   Subscription Key — your "Key 1"
   Region — your "Location/Region", e.g. eastasia

Youdao Translate Broad language support

Youdao Zhiyun's Text Translation API supports 100+ language pairs, with a free trial quota for new accounts.

1. 1
   Create an account

   Sign up and log in at the Youdao Zhiyun Open Platform.
2. 2
   Enable Text Translation

   Go to "NLP Translation" → "Text Translation", click "Use Now" to enable it, and top up a trial or paid package.
3. 3
   Create an application

   In the console's "Application Management", create a new app bound to "Text Translation" and get your App Key and App Secret.
4. 4
   Enter it into LingVa

   Under Settings → Translation Engines → Youdao Translate → Configure, enter:
   App Key and App Secret (both from Application Management)

6. Permissions & Privacy

LingVa does not collect, store, or upload any personal data. Chrome shows the required permissions at install time; here's what each one is for:

Where your text goes: the text you translate is sent directly from your browser to the translation engine you're currently using (Built-in / Baidu / Google / Microsoft / Youdao / your custom endpoint). LingVa never handles the request itself and runs no intermediary server.

See the full Privacy Policy for details on data handling.

7. General Settings