Legal
Privacy policy
Last updated 12 October 2026 · Applies to translate me 1.1 and later
This policy explains what the translate me Chrome extension (“the extension”, “we”) does with your information. In short, it's built so that we never receive the text you read.
Summary
- Translation happens on your computer. The extension uses Chrome's built-in translation and language-detection models. Text you translate is not sent to us or to any translation service.
- No analytics, no tracking, no ads. We don't collect usage statistics, identifiers or browsing history.
- Nothing is sold or shared. We don't have your data to sell.
- Optional features are clearly opt-in. Text leaves your device only when you choose a feature that needs it: an online voice to hear text spoken, or opening a page in Google Translate. Those features are described below.
Text you translate
The extension reads text only when you ask it to: text you select on a page, text you type into its popup or side panel, or the paragraphs of a page when you choose Translate page. That text is passed to Chrome's built-in Translator and Language Detector, which run on your computer. The extension doesn't send this text anywhere.
The first time you translate between two languages, Chrome itself downloads the language model from Google. This is part of Chrome and is governed by Google's privacy policy; your text is not part of that download.
Open page in Google Translate (right-click menu) opens the current page's address on translate.google.com. This sends the page address to Google, exactly as if you visited Google Translate yourself. It is only used when you choose that menu item.
Speech (the 🔊 buttons)
When you press a speaker button, the text you chose to hear is spoken by the voice provider selected in Settings → Voice:
Browser voices (default)
Speech goes through Chrome's text-to-speech system. Voices installed with Windows or macOS run on your computer. Voices whose names begin with “Google” are online voices provided by Chrome: when one of them is used, Chrome sends the text to Google to generate the audio. To keep speech offline, choose a voice without “Google” in its name in Settings → Voice.
translate me natural voices (optional, off by default)
If you choose this provider, the text you ask to hear (at most 300 characters per request) is sent over an encrypted connection to the translate me voice server, which asks Microsoft Azure AI Speech to generate the audio. On our server:
- The text is never logged or written to disk.
- Your IP address is used only in memory to limit how often one address can make requests. It is never logged or stored, and it is forgotten within about a day.
- The generated audio is cached so that repeated phrases don't have to be generated again. Cached clips are named by a one-way hash, not by their text, and older clips are deleted automatically as space is needed.
Microsoft processes the text as a service provider to generate the audio, under its Azure terms. Cloudflare carries the connection to our server and processes your IP address to do so. If the service is busy or unavailable, the extension falls back to a browser voice.
Your own Azure Speech or ElevenLabs account (optional)
If you add your own API key, the text you ask to hear is sent directly from your browser to that provider, using your key, and is governed by your agreement with them. Your key is stored only on your device and is never sent to us. The extension asks Chrome for permission to contact the provider only when you click Connect.
What's stored on your device
The extension keeps the following in your browser's extension storage. None of it is sent to us.
| Data | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Settings: languages, voice choices, display options, sites where you turned the extension off | Chrome sync storage | If Chrome sync is on, Google syncs these between your own devices. |
| Translation history: text you translated with the selection card, its translation, the languages, the site's hostname, and the time | Your device only | On by default, so you can review and export words. Up to the latest 500 entries. Turn it off or clear it in Settings → History. |
| API keys for Azure or ElevenLabs, if you add them | Your device only | Never synced and never sent to us. |
| Recently generated speech audio | Your device only | A small cache, so replaying doesn't contact a voice service again. |
| Monthly character count for ElevenLabs | Your device only | Used to enforce the budget you set. |
What we don't do
- No analytics, telemetry, crash reporting or advertising, and no third-party scripts in the extension.
- No accounts, and no collection of names, email addresses, identifiers or browsing history.
- No selling, renting or sharing of user data, and no use of it for advertising, credit or lending decisions.
- No remotely hosted code: everything the extension runs ships inside the package reviewed by the Chrome Web Store.
Why the extension asks for each permission
| Permission | Used for |
|---|---|
| Read and change data on all websites (content script) | Showing the translation card next to text you select, and inserting translations when you choose Translate page. Page content is read only when you select text or ask for a page translation, and is never sent anywhere. |
storage | Saving your settings and history in your browser. |
contextMenus | The right-click Translate page and Translate selection to… items. |
activeTab | Knowing which site you're on when you open the toolbar popup, for the “Also on this site” switch. |
tts | Speaking text aloud with your browser's voices. |
offscreen | Playing audio from an online voice. |
sidePanel | Showing the translator in Chrome's side panel. |
| Optional: Azure Speech and ElevenLabs websites | Requested only if you connect your own account, to send them the text you ask to hear. |
Your choices
- Turn features off: the toolbar popup turns selection translation off everywhere or for one site; Settings → History turns history off or clears it.
- Keep speech offline: in Settings → Voice, use browser voices and pick one without “Google” in its name.
- Delete everything: removing the extension from Chrome deletes the data it stored in your browser.
Children
The extension isn't directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone.
Chrome Web Store User Data Policy
The use of information received from Google APIs and from your browser will adhere to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Data is used only to provide the features described above, and is not transferred to third parties except as described in this policy for features you choose to use.
Changes and contact
If this policy changes, we'll update the date at the top and describe significant changes in the release notes. The extension is open source, so you can review exactly what it does on GitHub.
Questions or requests: yeung.ming.sang@gmail.com, or open an issue on GitHub.