Translation Settings
Control page translation mode, scope, automation, language detection, pre-translation, context, prompts, and cache.
Open Options → Translation for page-translation behavior. Request pacing and LLM batching live on the separate Request Control & Batch Translation page, while website-specific DOM fixes live under Site Rules.
Mode, range, and shortcuts
| Setting | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Translation Mode | Bilingual keeps the source next to the translation. Translation Only replaces the visible reading flow with translated text. |
| Translation Range | Main Content focuses on the article or primary reading area. All Content also considers surrounding interface text. |
| Translate Page shortcut | Starts or stops page translation. The default is Alt+E. |
| Switch Mode shortcut | Switches between bilingual and translation-only display. The default is Alt+Shift+M. |
Main Content is usually the better default for articles: it reduces requests and avoids translating navigation. Use All Content for application interfaces or pages where the content detector leaves useful text untouched.
Automatic translation
Read Frog can start page translation from either the website or the detected source language.
- Auto Translate Websites accepts hostnames such as
news.example.com. A hostname also covers its subdomains. - Never Auto Translate Websites uses the same hostname matching and takes precedence over every automatic rule.
- Auto Translate Languages starts translation when the detected page language matches one of your selected languages.
These lists are for automatic startup only. They do not decide whether Read Frog may run on a website. Use Options → General → Site Control for the extension-wide blacklist or whitelist, and Site Rules for DOM-specific behavior.
If a site appears in both automatic lists, Never Auto Translate wins. Enter hostnames here—not paths or wildcard URL rules.
Language detection and skipping
Basic language detection runs locally and is the fastest choice. LLM language detection can handle short or mixed-language pages more accurately, but adds a model request, latency, and possible cost.
Auto Skip Based on Language avoids translating a paragraph when it is already in the target language or in another language you explicitly skip. This is especially useful on bilingual pages. Source and target language selectors still control the translation request; skipping only removes unnecessary paragraphs before the request is sent.
Small paragraphs and pre-translation
The small-paragraph filter ignores nodes below your minimum character or word threshold. Both defaults are 0, so nothing is filtered by length until you configure it. A matching site rule can override these thresholds for one website.
Pre-translation prepares content before it reaches the viewport:
- Pre-translation Distance controls how far ahead Read Frog looks. The default is
1000pixels. - Visibility Threshold controls how much of an element must be visible before it is eligible. The default is
0.
Larger distances feel faster while scrolling but can translate text you never read. On long feeds or a limited API plan, reduce the distance instead of disabling cache.
AI Smart Context
AI Smart Context summarizes relevant page context so an LLM can resolve ambiguous names, pronouns, and terminology more consistently. It requires an LLM provider and adds a model call, latency, and token usage. The context result is cached for reuse on the same content.
Use it for technical articles, fiction, or pages where isolated paragraphs lose meaning. Leave it off for simple pages or providers with a strict quota.
Personalized prompts and cache
Page translation and video subtitles have separate prompts. When editing a prompt, keep every required placeholder exactly as shown in the editor; removing one can prevent Read Frog from inserting the source text or language.
The translation cache avoids paying for the same result repeatedly. Clearing it removes stored page translations and Smart Context results, but does not reset providers, prompts, or other settings. If only one site behaves incorrectly, check Site Rules before clearing all cached translations.