Google Translate → Kagi Translate, DeepL
• 571 words • 3 min
I added a new tag to this blog: degoogling.
Patrick Dubroy’s post has recently inspired me. Ironically, we’re both former Chrome employees1.
In Patrick’s words (not mine!):
Not much to say here. I got tired of Chrome’s deceptive messaging about ad privacy and about how careful I had to be to stay signed-out.
Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser, and after tweaking a few settings, it’s basically a like-for-like replacement. I’ve been happily using it for 6 months now.
I switched over to Brave instead.
Previously I’ve also praised Organic Maps over Google Maps. I am still using it, every week.
This is all off-topic though: today’s post is about translation.
Google Translate is a (very) solid product. In fact, when compared to Chrome and Maps, it’s one of the few Google products that hasn’t been enshittified yet. It does one thing, and does it (very) well. For as long as it keeps its feature set as is and does not get infected with Gen AI or anything that a promotion-seeking Product Manager or Executive may decide to enact, it will continue to thrive and shine.
Nonetheless, it does not flow well with privacy and overreliance on tech giants.
Last week I deleted the Google Translate bookmark and history entry from my web browser, and its app from my iPhone.
There are two replacements I like that are widely available in both phones and desktops.
DeepL #
DeepL can:
- translate words and sentences
- translate files and documents
- translate speech
Its translation results are often touted as sounding natural and accounting for the context. You can configure whether to use formal or informal language but that’s a Pro (paid) feature.
They are a German company, founded in 2017. Arguably, thanks to that, they excel at translating DE <-> EN.
One caveat is that it pushes you hard to sign up for a user account. I do not have one, there’s no practical need to have one, especially if you’re seeking increased privacy.
Another caveat is that they have increasingly started to adopt Gen AI features all over the place. These features aren’t necessarily super polished, and they feel rushed. It’s easy to ignore them and just move on. Their core product is great.
It can be selected as the default translation app on iOS.
Kagi Translate #
Kagi Translate is much newer (2024). It is very KISS.
From their blog post:
- Higher quality translations than Google Translate and DeepL
- Zero tracking, no apps needed
- Free for everyone (Kagi members get captcha-free access)
I am an overall fan of the philosophy behind Kagi and think that their translation web app fits it well.
Last month they released mobile apps, making it much easier to use.
Kagi Translate can:
- translate words and sentences
- translate files and documents
- translate speech
- translate websites
I especially like its built-in dictionary feature and its alternative translations suggestions.
Gen AI is opt-in and not pushed on you. There are no paid features. The interface is very clean. You can configure it with presets such as (i) level of formality, (ii) reading level (A1, A2, B1, etc) and (iii) gender preferences (masculine, feminine, neutral).
It’s a wrap #
As of the time of this post Kagi Translate is my favorite, and DeepL comes second. Google Translate is the fallback.
Both Kagi Translate and DeepL have Chromium extensions for ease of reach and use.