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Mozilla Working On Google Translate Integration In Firefox (ghacks.net)

Posted by BeauHD on from the better-late-than-never dept.

Back in 2014, Mozilla partnered with Bing to translate webpages via Firefox in a similar fashion to Chrome's implementation of Google Translate. The company also added support for Yandex Translate in Firefox 41 in mid-2015, but it went all dark soon after and very few updates were issued. Now, Mozilla is finally starting to add support for Google Translate to the translation engine built into Firefox. gHacks reports: While the feature is not fully functional yet, it is an indicator that Mozilla has not forgotten the translate feature completely. Users who enable the translate functionality in Firefox on about:config will notice that Google is the selected translation engine. Google Translate cannot be used currently in Firefox; the browser throws an error message when you hit the translate button in the UI. Bing and Yandex don't seem to work either at this point in time even though Firefox seems to try and translate the page. The "there has been an error translating this page" error is thrown eventually as well. Google Translate requires API access keys and that is usually only available if companies or users pay for the key. It is unclear if Mozilla plans to make a deal with Google or if users will be required to use their own API keys for the functionality. The latter would surely be very limiting.

51 comments

  1. The latter would surely be very limiting. by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

    Not being able to read the page is also very limiting.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    1. Re:The latter would surely be very limiting. by the+real+BeauHD · · Score: 0

      I enjoy Rothschild Illuminati Parties! LOL!

    2. Re:The latter would surely be very limiting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google Translate requires API access keys and that is usually only available if companies or users pay for the key. It is unclear if Mozilla plans to make a deal with Google

      WTF? Mozilla already has a "deal" with Goog. Goog is paying Mozilla somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 Million a year.

      How much could an API key possibly cost? A few thousand dollars? When you're already paying them $300 Million every year, you're not going to throw in an API key?

      Jeez, cheap fucking Jews. Always trying to Jew you over every penny.

    3. Re:The latter would surely be very limiting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm disappointed they didn't show the best picture from that party.

    4. Re:The latter would surely be very limiting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google Translate requires API access keys and that is usually only available if companies or users pay for the key. It is unclear if Mozilla plans to make a deal with Google

      WTF? Mozilla already has a "deal" with Goog. Goog is paying Mozilla somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 Million a year.

      How much could an API key possibly cost? A few thousand dollars? When you're already paying them $300 Million every year, you're not going to throw in an API key?

      Jeez, cheap fucking Jews. Always trying to Jew you over every penny.

      Yes but sometimes this has useful side-effects. As a matter of fact, this is how copper wiring was invented: two Jews were fighting over a penny.

  2. interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Could be useful but need to be something that can be turned off since Google should not be told everything

    Captha obituary ?

    1. Re:interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Umm, you have to click a button to translate the page. Don't want Google to process the page, don't click the button. Simples.

  3. Yet another integrated thing to turn off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Make it an addon, idiots!

    1. Re:Yet another integrated thing to turn off by jma05 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Yeah seriously. They have turned off features that were useful saying that an addon would address those better, and yet have added features that clearly belong in addons. Pocket was much better as an addon. I used to use it a lot, but stopped after it became a core feature. Browsers should not add third-party online services into their core functionality.

      That said, I still stick with Firefox. Their general policy and values, however chaotic, inconsistent and confusing, are more aligned with open software than the rest.

    2. Re:Yet another integrated thing to turn off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      90% of firefox features i can't even offer a reason for their inclusion. early firefox was so good i could find an addon for just about anything. they killed themselves by moving away from this environmen

    3. Re:Yet another integrated thing to turn off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Firefox' Pocket is such a strange implementation. The turn off for the Pocket feature in about:config is called "extensions.pocket.enabled", so essentially it's an extension that is bundled in and enabled by default, and filtered from the extensions menu.

      Considering the values of "extensions.pocket.api" (hostname), "extensions.pocket.site" (another hostname), and "extensions.pocket.oAuthConsumerKey" (UUID-like identifier), I wouldn't trust it on as it's probably sending identifying information over the network.

      I'm definitely in a mixed boat with Firefox' about:config stuff. On the one hand, you get much finer control of Firefox' internals and can build up your own about:config changes in documentation, etc. On the other hand, it's ballooning out of control like the Windows Registry or the Gnome gconf/dconf databases.

      Bring back Mozilla Phoenix!

    4. Re:Yet another integrated thing to turn off by xack · · Score: 1

      Mozilla,dosen’t care about addons anymore. Since they are taking down xul extentions soon, any one who wants real add ons have to use waterfox, pale moon or basilisk instead.

    5. Re: Yet another integrated thing to turn off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wtffff

    6. Re: Yet another integrated thing to turn off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You bring up something I haven't looked into before. Are there official Mozilla produced extensions in the add-in repository? Or do they always integrate anything they think up?

      With Chrome there are official Google produced or supported extensions (which they eventually unsupport like with their bookmarks one).

    7. Re:Yet another integrated thing to turn off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, addons are bad and they confuse users. They will make it mandatory without a way to turn it off. After all, the UX guys know what people want or need. Who would want to read the page in original language, when they can get the crappy machine translation.

  4. Re:Firefox is a dead horse. Stop kicking it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whining never solved any problems. Literally, Trump hasn't solved any problems at all and he's whining personified. Look it up.

  5. Re:Firefox is a dead horse. Stop kicking it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and yet you are whining.

  6. Re:Firefox is a dead horse. Stop kicking it. by Stormwatch · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I still cling to Firefox rather than deal with the shit interface of Chrome.

    --
    Circumcision is child abuse.
  7. Too complicated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do like the aeroplane industry and use ENGLISH on the internet. No more problems. Guaranteed.

    1. Re: Too complicated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Use Esperanto. English is for punks and boybands.

    2. Re: Too complicated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just use Chinese. English is too colonialist.

  8. If I wanted to be spied on by Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd just use fucking Chrome.

    1. Re:If I wanted to be spied on by Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      bing or yahoo or yandex or any other would be the same thing.

    2. Re:If I wanted to be spied on by Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      nice

    3. Re:If I wanted to be spied on by Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Chrome sends the first 6 digits of any credit card number it detects back to google so they can push their payment service on you.

  9. Non-Google option? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will any other translation services be available?

  10. Re: Firefox is a dead horse. Stop kicking it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Palemoon? That unstable fork of an outdated browser made by an angry, intellectually-preadolescent person calling himself a moonchild? Oh, please.

  11. Re:Firefox is a dead horse. Stop kicking it. by CaptQuark · · Score: 2

    Just like the recent bad decision to delete descriptions from bookmarks. It was a perfect place to put notes about the site, login information, date joined, interesting keywords on the site, membership numbers, etc.

    I have turned off automatic updates and will stay with the previous version until they fix this or someone creates an add-on to restore this functionality.

    ---

  12. Re:Firefox is a dead horse. Stop kicking it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nothing worse than someone whining to tell you to quit whining is there? You have to wonder if there's a vital nutrient missing in that person's food.

  13. Why do they reinvent the wheel ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    An extension to tie into Google translate already exists and works nicely. Is it so hard to upgrade that to work with other translation services?

    What environmental problems do they have at Mozilla? Lead in the drinking water? Contagious strain of Alzheimer making the rounds? Brainworms? Lack of oxygen?

    What the hell made them that braindead?

  14. Translate? Bing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thanks for the heads-up. Yet another about:config to keep an eye on (and perhaps a couple of entries in my /etc/hosts, just to make sure).

    Mozilla: I love-hate you. *This* is the kind of thing I hate you for!

  15. Still problem opening the Mozilla firefox by Dellsupport123 · · Score: 0

    I faced the same problem when I bought the brand new Dell Inspiron 5001 laptop whenever I want to open the firefox its open very slow and it is very irritating to me. Then I decided to contact the Dell Technical Support team for the solution of their team very helpful, I got my solution in very less time.

  16. Re: Firefox is a dead horse. Stop kicking it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He's clearly lacking wine.

  17. They are already in the business by Laxator2 · · Score: 1

    I remember upgrading to Firefox 60 and after I went through all the settings (disabling autoplay, push, geolocation, etc) I set up my search engines the way I like, excluding Google from the list.

    Well, immediately after that I got a pop-up with Firefox informing me that it did me a great favor of restoring Google as the default search engine.

    How thoughtful of them.

    1. Re:They are already in the business by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I did the same and Firefox hasn't tried to restore Google as the default search engine.

  18. Addon by markdavis · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Mozilla: If it is of any significant size, make it an Addon, not "Integrated." Include the Addon if you want, but please remember the original mission of Firefox- small, fast, secure (at least, that is how I remember it).

    1. Re:Addon by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      but please remember the original mission of Firefox- small, fast, secure (at least, that is how I remember it).

      That was the original mission, but now it's money, money, money.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Addon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It may not be about the money only, but it no longer ain't about tech-savvy users either.
      In trying to get the next billion cabbages online, their focus has shifted tremendously...
      <sigh />

  19. Yet another by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

    Chrome feature that Firefox has copied. I rather like the feature myself. Right click on the page and its translated.

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  20. Re:okey dokey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    translate: Barack Obama

    answer: nig

    No the stupid níggers are the ones who voted for him. They think a Harvard law professor and senator really understands what life in the ghetto is like, because melanin!

    But don't worry. If Barack had a son he'd look like Treyvon Martin. And if his son violently attacked strangers who were not physically threatening them in any way, as níggers are so well known for doing (the media code words are "youths" and "teenagers" these days) perhaps he would meet the same fate. Then everyone could freak out because white hispanic!

    When's the last time you ever saw white people in the US riot int he streets because a court decision didn't go their way? For that matter when do you ever see whites riot at all in the US? Compare that to the powder keg that is the ghetto. But they're equal and definitely not savage.

  21. Re:ioitsol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am capable of making your product stand out by planning product boxes, designing product packaging, insert cards and labels in an aesthetically pleasing way.
    we deliver your Product PACKAGING an Labeling ORDER SUPER FAST and SUPER QUALITY. You can count on us and you will never regret about your design reach out today and get yours design for only $5.

    https://www.fiverr.com/aliarslangorsi2/be-your-seo-agency

    Oh how lovely! After I took tons of risk, went into some debt, and poured years of my blood sweat and tears into building up my business and establishing a good reputation for it, well of course I would trust all of that to some random spammer on Slashdot. Damn, why didn't I think of that before?

  22. How about XYZ instead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Instead, how about some features which /a lot/ of people have been requesting since the introduction of the Quantum FF version?
    - multi-row tabs
    - customizable shortcuts

    One step forward (speed), two steps back (usability)...

  23. Re:Firefox is a dead horse. Stop kicking it. by Raenex · · Score: 2

    Me too, but it's more to avoid the Google spying machine than the interface.

  24. merci by ole_timer · · Score: 1

    domo arigato

    --
    nothing to see here - move along
  25. Make a great browser by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    No need to add new language functions that take away from what a browser is.
    Let some add on do translation for a user if and when needed.
    Get back to security, what a modern OS can offer. What more a new CPU and GPU can support.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"