Free Translator
by Michielo
Free Translator is a Fabric chat tool that translates incoming messages into a player's native language and lets replies be sent in another language.
What it does
Incoming chat messages are translated in real time, so a player reads them in their native language. Replies can be written in a chosen language and converted before they are sent. The mod runs on the client only, so players install it alone and servers need nothing extra.
Free Translator uses a set of free translation services. DeepL 2 requires an API key, which the user stores locally in the mod. The other services are free and run without a key, because they are deployed and maintained on the author's own infrastructure. Language identification relies on OpenLID-v2, and LibreTranslate is used where the free limit allows it.
The mod is published for Fabric only, on Minecraft 1.21.5. Fabric API is required. The latest file is 0.2, released on 2025-07-08 on the beta channel, and the mod is released under All rights reserved, so the code is not open source.
Key features
Real-time incoming translation
Chat messages from other players are translated as they arrive and shown in the player's native language.
Reply in another language
A message can be written in a chosen language and translated before it is sent to the chat.
Language identification
Each message is checked to find its source language, so the mod knows what to translate from and to.
Choice of translation services
Players can pick among DeepL 2, the free services run by the author and a set of lighter models suited to chat.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Use cases
Who it’s for: Players who join multilingual servers or chat with people in other languages, and who want translation to stay on the client without installing anything on the server.
How it compares
Chat Translator is also Fabric-only and targets 1.21.5, but it can run on a client or a server, while Free Translator is client-side only. TranslatorChat-sak is client-side only and published under the MIT License, but it is built for 1.21.11 rather than 1.21.5. Click To Translate Chat (CTTC) is client-side only with a custom license and covers 1.21.11 – 26.3.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Translator | Fabric | 1.21.5 | Client-side only | 2025-07-08 |
| Chat Translator | Fabric | 1.21.5 | Client or server, optional | 2025-04-25 |
| TranslatorChat-sak | Fabric | 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-05-27 |
| Click To Translate Chat (CTTC) | Fabric | 1.21.11 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-09-17 |
Questions
Does Free Translator need Fabric API?
Does the server have to run Free Translator?
Is an API key needed to use the translator?
Can Free Translator be used on other game versions?
In the catalog
Free Translator is one of 5,392 Social mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,084 Social mods for Fabric. 15,307 mods support Minecraft 1.21.5.
Similar mods
What the author says
For the following services we simply call their API and require an API-key from the user (stored locally): 1. DeepL 2. 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)…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/chat-translator-mc
- Owner
- Michielo
- Published
- 2025-07-08
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-07-08
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15