A translator that outgrew the browser—and its own name

What it does

NextAI Translator is a browser extension and desktop app that feeds your selected text to LLMs—OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, MiniMax—to translate, rewrite, or summarize across 55 languages. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and packs in text-to-speech, screenshot translation, and a vocabulary book that auto-generates memory aids. You supply the API key; it supplies the interface and streams the results back.

The interesting bit

It began as a Chrome extension to replicate a macOS-only Bob plugin, then quietly scope-creeped into a full desktop app with Rust in the stack. The author admits the polishing and summarization features arrived “accidentally,” which is refreshingly honest: give a developer an LLM endpoint and a text box, and feature bloat becomes a force of nature.

Key highlights

• Three modes—translation, polishing, summarization—across 55 languages with streaming output.
• Cross-platform desktop builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus Chrome and Firefox extensions.
• Screenshot translation and a vocabulary book with LLM-generated memory aids.
• Swappable backends: OpenAI, Azure OpenAI Service, MiniMax, and other providers.
• TypeScript frontend with Rust components (per repo badges).

Caveats

• The project was recently renamed after receiving a trademark ownership warning from OpenAI.
• Desktop releases are not code-signed, so both Windows and macOS flag installers with security warnings and require manual bypasses.
• It requires your own API key and an internet connection; there is no offline mode.

Verdict

Worth a look if you want a unified, LLM-driven text assistant across browser and desktop. Pass if you need a fully offline translator or prefer not to manage API keys and OS security dialogs.