Translate the visible text of a page from the WTFAA side panel, pick Bilingual, Replace, or Hover to Show, and understand progress messages and limits.
The Translate button in the WTFAA side panel translates the text of the page you are viewing and writes the result back into the page. It sits in the input area next to the message box, not on the role toolbar, so it is available in every role: Reader, Designer, and Developer.
Translation uses the AI service you have set up in WTFAA. This guide covers how to choose a translation mode, how to start and stop a translation, and what the extension does and does not translate.
Before You Start
AI access: Translation needs a working AI service, either Platform (with a Pro subscription) or Use My Own Keys with a key for the selected model. See Getting started with WTFAA if you have not set this up.
Target language: Text is translated into the language of the side panel itself. You can change it under Settings → Appearance → Language. The available languages are English, 简体中文, 日本語, 한국어, Deutsch, Français, and ភាសាខ្មែរ.
A regular web page: Chrome does not let extensions run on restricted pages such as browser system pages and the Chrome Web Store. On those pages WTFAA shows a message asking you to try again on a regular web page.
Choose a Translation Mode
Open Settings from the gear icon in the side panel header. Under Appearance, the Translation Mode setting offers three options. The default is Replace.
Bilingual
The original text stays in place and the translation is added right after it in smaller gray text. When the text sits in a block element such as a paragraph or heading, the translation appears on its own line below the original.
Replace
The original text is replaced by the translation. The page layout stays the same, but you no longer see the source text.
Hover to Show
The original text stays in place with a dotted underline. Move the pointer over it to see the translation in a floating tooltip.
The mode is applied to text as it is translated. Text that was already translated keeps the form it was given. To go back to the original page, or to translate it again in a different mode, reload the page.
Translate the Page
Open the page in a normal Chrome tab and open the WTFAA side panel.
Click Translate (the globe icon next to the message box).
The panel shows a status message such as "Translating 120 text nodes... (8 batches)". As results arrive, it updates with progress, for example "Translating 45/120 text nodes... (38%)", and the translations appear on the page while the request is still running.
When all batches are finished, the panel shows "Translation complete."
Translation runs only when you click Translate. WTFAA does not watch the page and translate new content on its own. If more content loads later, for example after scrolling a long feed, click Translate again. In Bilingual and Hover to Show modes, text that already has a translation is skipped.
If WTFAA finds nothing to translate, the panel shows "No text found on page."
What Gets Translated
Visible page text: WTFAA scans the text of the page from top to bottom. It skips hidden elements, scripts and styles, loading placeholders, screen-reader-only text, and common cookie banners and ad containers.
Very short text and numbers: Single characters, plain numbers, prices, percentages, and version numbers are not sent for translation.
Terms the AI is asked to keep: The translation request asks the model to leave technical terms, brand names, code snippets, and variable names unchanged, and to keep text that is already in the target language as it is.
X (Twitter): On x.com and twitter.com, WTFAA translates only the text of posts, not the menus and the rest of the interface. Version 1.3.4 matches these sites by hostname, so other sites are no longer handled as X by mistake.
Version 1.3.4 also fixed Bilingual mode missing some text when several pieces of text shared the same parent element.
Stopping and Limits
Stop: While a translation is running, the send button turns into a stop button. Clicking it stops the translation before the next batch; text that was already translated stays on the page.
Leaving the page: If you navigate the tab to another address or close it, the translation stops.
Batches: Page text is sent in batches of up to 15 text pieces and about 1,500 characters, with a short pause between batches. A long page therefore takes several AI requests, and each one counts toward the usage of your AI service.
Failed batches: If a batch fails, for example because the AI service is rate-limiting requests, its text stays in the original language and WTFAA continues with the next batch. You can click Translate again later to retry the remaining text.
Translation quality: The result comes from the AI model you selected. Check important text against the original.
What Is Sent to the AI Service
Translation sends the scanned page text to the AI service you selected, through Datafrog in Platform mode or directly to the provider when you use your own keys. Unlike chat messages and quick actions, page translation does not open the Review before sending dialog. Avoid translating pages that show information you do not want to send to an AI service.