---
id: translate
version: "3.8.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# translate — This is a simple, yet powerful command line translator with google translate behind it. You can also use it as a Python module in your code.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 411.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Translate is a Python translation wrapper that abstracts away the details of calling multiple online translation services. You can use it from the command line with `translate-cli -t zh "text"` or import it as a module to translate strings programmatically. It currently supports Microsoft Translation API, DeepL (free and pro), LibreTranslate, Yandex Translate, and Translated MyMemory, letting you switch providers by passing a provider name and optional authentication key.

The package depends on click for CLI argument handling, requests for HTTP calls, lxml for XML parsing, and libretranslatepy for LibreTranslate integration. It's actively maintained, has no known security vulnerabilities, and is classified as production-stable. The main trade-off is that you're delegating translation work to external services, so you'll need internet access and may need to manage API keys or rate limits depending on which provider you choose.

Use it for:

- Translate user-generated content in real time from a Python application without writing provider-specific API code.
- Build a command-line tool to quickly translate text snippets between languages during development or testing.
- Switch translation providers (e.g., from MyMemory to DeepL) by changing a configuration parameter without rewriting application logic.
- Integrate translation into a batch processing pipeline that reads text from files and outputs translations to another language.
- Prototype multilingual features in a web or desktop application before committing to a specific translation service.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Translate text between languages via command line or Python API, supporting multiple translation providers including DeepL, Microsoft Translator, LibreTranslate, Yandex, and MyMemory.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, uses a permissive MIT license, and offers a clean abstraction over multiple translation providers. Install it if you need simple programmatic or CLI-based translation without vendor lock-in. The main consideration is that you'll depend on external translation services and their availability; verify that your chosen provider meets your performance and cost requirements before deploying to production.

## Install

pip install translate
uv add translate
poetry add translate

## Installing translate

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. Active maintenance with a recent release (39 days ago) and steady repository activity; requires Python 3.6 or later.

License in practice: MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; you may use, modify, and distribute the package freely provided you include the license notice.

Quickstart:

pip install translate

from translate import Translator
translator = Translator(to_lang="zh")
result = translator.translate("This is a pen.")

Requires Python 3.6 or later; most translation providers require internet connectivity and may require API keys or authentication tokens.

Verify before relying:

- Rate limits or quotas imposed by individual translation providers are not documented in the fact sheet.
- Whether all listed providers (Microsoft, DeepL, LibreTranslate, Yandex, MyMemory) remain actively maintained and free to use.
- Performance characteristics and latency for real-time translation workloads.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 411.0K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

command line translation tool, python translation library, multi-provider translator, deepl microsoft yandex translator, text translation api wrapper, language translation cli, translation service integration, translation, cli-tool, multi-provider

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/translate) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/translate/)