A translation extension that minds its own business
Sonic Translate has no account, no analytics, no telemetry, no ads, and no developer server. When you trigger a translation, the text you selected — and nothing else — is sent to Google Translate over HTTPS. That is the extension's entire relationship with the network.
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What we don't do
- No accounts or sign-ups
- No analytics or telemetry in the extension
- No ads, ever
- No selling or sharing of data
- No developer servers — we run nothing that could store your text
What does happen
When you press the shortcut or use the right-click menu, your selected text and the language codes are sent to translate.googleapis.com over HTTPS, and the translation comes back. That request happens only when you trigger it — never in the background.
Exactly what leaves your browser
One network call: the selected text plus source and target language codes, sent to Google Translate to produce your translation. Google's handling of that request is governed by Google's privacy policy. We deliberately say "sent to Google" rather than something softer, because that is what happens.
If translating through Google is not acceptable for you, Sonic Translate is not the right tool — use a local-only option like your browser's built-in translation instead. We'd rather tell you that plainly than overclaim.
What stays on your device
- Translation history — up to 100 entries, stored in your browser's local extension storage. Deletable one by one or all at once, and you can disable history entirely with one toggle. It is never uploaded anywhere.
- Settings — languages, shortcuts, and toggles live in your browser's sync storage, so your own browser account can carry them between your devices. That sync is run by your browser vendor, not by us.
- Text-to-speech — the extension never sends or fetches audio; speech comes from your browser's own engine and voices. Most voices run entirely on your device — though some browsers also bundle cloud-backed voices operated by the browser vendor, which is your browser's behavior, not ours.
Permissions, explained
Sonic Translate asks for the minimum it needs — three permissions and one host. Here is what each one is for:
| Permission | Why it exists |
|---|---|
| storage | Saves your settings (languages, shortcuts, toggles) in browser storage, and your translation history locally on your device. |
| activeTab | Lets the extension act on the tab you are currently viewing when you trigger a translation. |
| contextMenus | Adds the “Translate with Sonic” item to the right-click menu on selected text. |
| translate.googleapis.com | The single host the extension may talk to — the Google Translate endpoint that produces your translations. |
The content script that reads your selection runs on the pages you visit because that is where your selection is — it acts only when you trigger a translation and reports nothing anywhere.
No account, nothing to breach
There are no credentials to steal, no usage meter to enforce, and no server-side profile of you anywhere — because none of those things exist. A data breach of Sonic Translate's user database is impossible in the most literal way: there is no user database.
Verify it yourself
Don't take our word for it — watch the network:
- Open DevTools (F12) on any page and switch to the Network tab.
- Select some text and press Ctrl+E.
- You'll see a single request to
translate.googleapis.com. Browse, scroll, and click around — with the extension idle, it makes no requests at all.
Frequently asked questions
Looking for the formal policy? Read the privacy policy — it covers this website too, which uses no tracking cookies and no third-party trackers.
Private, fast, and honest about both
No account. No tracking by us. Selected text goes only to Google Translate.
Free · No account · 109 languages