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LLM Translate

obsidian-llm-translate is an Obsidian plugin that translates selected text or whole notes with LLMs (DeepSeek, OpenAI, Gemini, and any OpenAI-compatible provider), with streaming output and frontmatter preservation.

Desktop only — isDesktopOnly: true. Mobile (iOS/Android) is not supported.

Why

You clip English articles or YouTube transcripts into Obsidian and want them in your reading language — without leaving the editor. LLM Translate keeps it simple: one command to translate a selection, one command to translate the whole note. YAML frontmatter is never touched.

Features

• Translate selection — select text → command palette or right-click → AI translates and replaces inline
• Translate full note — preserves YAML frontmatter; only the body is sent to the LLM
• Streaming output — translation appears word-by-word as it arrives
• Cancellation — a spinner in the status bar turns into an ✕ on hover; click to stop and restore the original text
• 9 built-in providers + custom — DeepSeek, OpenAI, Gemini, Doubao (豆包), Kimi, Qwen (通义千问), Zhipu (智谱), SiliconFlow, OpenRouter, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint
• Quick provider switch — a single command lets you flip between providers without opening settings
• Editable system prompt — supports {{targetLanguage}} placeholder; reset button restores the default
• Long-note guard — notes over 20,000 characters require a confirmation before translation

Install

Manual install (current method)

The plugin is not yet listed in the Obsidian Community Plugin directory. Install manually:

1. Go to the Releases page and download the latest main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css.
2. Create the folder <your-vault>/.obsidian/plugins/llm-translate/ if it does not exist.
3. Copy the three files into that folder.
4. Restart Obsidian, then go to Settings → Community plugins, find LLM Translate, and enable it.

Community Plugin directory listing is planned for a future release.

Configuration

1. Open Settings → LLM Translate.
2. From the Add provider dropdown, pick a preset (e.g. DeepSeek).
3. Expand the newly added provider and fill in:
   • API Key — generated from the provider's dashboard
   • Model — a sensible default is pre-filled; change as needed
4. To use multiple providers, add more and use the Set as current button to switch.

Where to get API keys

Usage

Three commands (Cmd/Ctrl + P)

Right-click menu

Select text in the editor, right-click, and you will see Translate selected text and Translate full note (preserve frontmatter).

Keyboard shortcuts (optional)

Go to Settings → Hotkeys, search "LLM Translate", and bind a hotkey to any of the three commands.

Custom system prompt

Default prompt (translated for reference):

You are a professional translation engine. Translate the following content into {{targetLanguage}}.

Rules:
- Keep the original paragraph structure and Markdown formatting
- For proper nouns and technical terms, keep the English on first occurrence with a parenthetical translation
- Output only the translation — no explanations, summaries, or comments
- Preserve the tone and style of the original
- Leave numbers, URLs, and code snippets unchanged

Edit the prompt in settings. {{targetLanguage}} is replaced by the Target language value (default: 中文). Click the reset button to restore the default.

Compared to alternatives

FAQ

Q: Can I stop a translation mid-way?
A: Yes. The status bar shows a spinner during translation; hover over it to reveal an ✕ and click to cancel. The original text is fully restored.

Q: Will the plugin run on mobile (iOS/Android)?
A: No. The plugin is marked isDesktopOnly: true in its manifest. It is only tested and supported on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Q: Does the frontmatter get translated?
A: No. Full-note translation only processes the body after the --- delimiter. Frontmatter is passed through unchanged.

Q: What happens with very long notes?
A: Notes over 20,000 characters trigger a confirmation dialog before the request is sent. Most modern LLMs have ≥128 K context, so 20,000 characters is well within limits — the dialog is a safeguard against accidental large-file translation.

Q: Why did my translation fail halfway?
A: Common causes: expired API key, zero balance, or a misspelled model name. The plugin shows an error dialog with a description. Check Settings → LLM Translate and verify the key and model.

Q: Do Chinese providers (DeepSeek, Doubao) require a VPN?
A: Generally no — DeepSeek (api.deepseek.com), Doubao (Volcengine ARK), Kimi, Qwen, Zhipu, and SiliconFlow all have mainland-China-accessible API endpoints. OpenAI and Gemini endpoints do require network access that bypasses the GFW if you are in China. DeepSeek is currently the cheapest option for Chinese users: deepseek-chat is very affordable and produces high-quality translations.

Q: Which target languages are supported? Can I translate in the reverse direction (Chinese → English)?
A: Any language the underlying LLM supports. Set Target language in settings to any language name — English, Japanese, French, etc. — and the prompt will instruct the model to translate into that language. Reverse translation (Chinese → English) works the same way: just set the target language to English.

Q: Can I use a self-hosted or third-party OpenAI-compatible endpoint?
A: Yes. Select Custom from the provider dropdown, enter your base URL (e.g. http://localhost:11434/v1 for Ollama), API key (if any), and model name.

Requirements

• Obsidian ≥ 0.15.0
• Desktop only (macOS / Windows / Linux)
• An API key from at least one supported provider

License

MIT — © 2026 xiaochen

Acknowledgements

Derived from obsidian-llm-shortcut by chernodub — the streaming output layer and OpenAI-compatible request adapter are based on that work.