https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=526779
Bug ID: 526779
Summary: Feature Request: Native in-place text translation and
contextual pop-up
Classification: Applications
Product: okular
Version First unspecified
Reported In:
Platform: Other
OS: Linux
Status: REPORTED
Severity: wishlist
Priority: NOR
Component: general
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
Target Milestone: ---
Currently, translating text while reading in Okular requires copying content to
the clipboard and relying on external applications or web browsers. This
context-switching breaks the reading workflow and degrades the user experience.
I would like to request the implementation of a native translation feature with
two primary modes of operation:
In-Place Translation Overlay (The Killer Feature): The ability to translate a
selected block of text and visually replace or overlay the original text
directly on the PDF page. The rendering engine should attempt to preserve the
original formatting, font size, and bounding box position, gracefully handling
text overflow or underflow.
Contextual Pop-up Translation: A simpler alternative where selecting a block of
text allows the user to trigger a floating pop-up, tooltip, or a dedicated
sidebar panel displaying the translated text without leaving the document view.
Why this is a game-changer:
Currently, no other major PDF reader on the market offers in-place visual text
replacement for translations. Implementing this would make Okular an absolute
pioneer and the undisputed best tool for researchers, students, and
professionals reading foreign-language documents.
>From an architecture standpoint, the translation backend could be modular.
Instead of hardcoding a specific cloud service, Okular could allow configuring
a custom REST API endpoint. This would empower users to route translation
prompts to standard external APIs (DeepL, Google) or to local,
privacy-respecting LLM servers.
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