Free Translator
A (free) real-time chat-translation mod that shows incoming messages in your native language and lets you reply in the language you choose.
Screenshots
About this Mod
Chat Translator
This mod introduces a chat translator that allows you to read the chat in your native language and translate your messages to a language of your chosing. This is achieved by a combination of on-device language identification and cloud-based translation services (both free & paid).
Installing & Using
You can install this mod on Fabric 1.21.5 (please note this mod requires Fabric-API to be installed!). After joining, you are able to use right-shift to open a settings GUI. Here, you can set your language, how we should translate incoming messages (automatic, manual, disabled) and how we should translate outgoing messages. For the current beta version you are unable to change the language identification & translation service used, but rest assured these are free and do not need to be configured in any way.
Achieving this in a free and easy way
To avoid something known as "vendor lock-in" and to keep this mod completely free you can decide what services and tools to use within this mod in the settings menu. Here is an overview!
Language identification
Language identification is used to determine what language a message is in.
| Service | Local | Free/Paid | Available in beta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lingua | Yes (Local) | Free | Yes (Available) |
| FastText | Yes (Local) | Free | No (Not available) |
| OpenLID-v2 | No (Cloud) | Free | No (Not available) |
| OpenLID-v2-Pro | No (Cloud) | Paid | No (Not available) |
Translation
Translations are used to translate messages both incoming and outgoing.
| Service | Local | Free/Paid | Available in beta |
|---|---|---|---|
| LibreTranslate | No (Cloud) | Free | Yes (Available) |
| Tiny-Translator | Yes (Local) | Free | No (Not available) |
| DeepL | No (Cloud) | Paid | No (Not available) |
| ChatGPT | No (Cloud) | Paid | No (Not available) |
| MC-Translator | No (Cloud) | Paid | No (Not available) |
External services
So how does this mod use external services (all LI's & translators marked as cloud)?
For the following services we simply call their API and require an API-key from the user (stored locally):
- DeepL
- ChatGPT
For all other free services we deploy and maintain our own infrastructure. This can be maintained for free thanks to the relatively low computational requirements (OpenLID-v2, LibreTranslate) where we also limit the amount of messages a second that can be identified or translated.
For the remaining paid options that are maintained specifically for this use-case (OpenLID-v2-Pro, MC-Translator) we aim to specifically make AI models to perform better for the average minecraft chat, which costs a bit more of compute which we aim to deploy and allow anyone to use well below all other paid options (as the goal is not profit but accessibility).
Support
Please note that on a beta version there may be an increased amount of bugs and issues!
You are welcome in Discord for support by clicking here.
Available Versions
How to Install Free Translator on Your Server
Order Server
Order a Minecraft Java server with at least 3 GB RAM (4 GB recommended).
Set fabric Loader
In the panel under "Egg", select the fabric loader and matching Minecraft version (1.21.5).
Install Mod
Open the mod browser in the dashboard and search for "Free Translator". Click "Install" – done! Alternatively, upload the .jar via SFTP to the /mods folder.
Compatibility
Mod Loaders
Minecraft Versions
1.21.5
Server-side
✗ UnsupportedRecommended RAM
4 GB(min. 3 GB)Frequently Asked Questions
Free Translator server crashes on startup – what to do?
Most common cause: wrong fabric version or insufficient RAM. Check the server log (latest.log) for "OutOfMemoryError" or "Mixin" errors. With Mado Hosting: ensure at least 3 GB RAM is allocated and the loader matches the mod version (1.21.5). You can switch loaders with one click in the panel.
Is Free Translator compatible with fabric?
Free Translator officially supports fabric for Minecraft 1.21.5. The Mado dashboard automatically detects incompatible loader combinations.
Server lagging with Free Translator – how to optimize performance?
Recommended RAM: 4 GB (per 8 players). Use /spark profiler to check if Free Translator consumes the most tick time. Common fixes: reduce server view-distance to 8-10, install "performant" or "starlight" as supplementary mods on Forge. With Mado Hosting, your server runs on NVMe SSDs with dedicated CPU cores for minimal latency.
Similar Mods
Rent Modded Server
Install Free Translator with just one click on your server.