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Translate & Lookup

Readest can translate a selection, look up a word in Wiktionary, or pop up the Wikipedia article — all without leaving the page.

Translate a selection

Select any text and pick Translate from the annotation toolbar, or press Ctrl+T / Cmd+T. A popup shows the translation alongside the original. You can copy either side, or dismiss the popup and keep reading.

Readest auto-detects the source language. Pick the target language from the popup; Readest remembers your last choice per book.

Translations are ephemeral by default — they disappear when you dismiss the popup. To keep one, annotate the selection first (Ctrl+N) and paste the translation into the note.

Translation providers

Switch provider under Settings → Translation → Provider.

  • DeepL — widely considered the most natural-sounding translator for European languages.
  • Microsoft Translator — solid all-around choice with a large language catalog.
  • Google Translate — good for a wide variety of languages, especially outside Europe.

Daily usage limits apply to cloud providers. Readest shows remaining quota on the settings screen; if you hit a limit, switch to a different provider or wait for the daily reset.

Dictionary & Wikipedia

Dictionary. Select a single word and press Ctrl+D / Cmd+D, or tap Dictionary in the annotation toolbar. Readest shows the Wiktionary entry for the selected word: definitions, part of speech, etymology, and example sentences.

Wikipedia. Select a word or phrase and press Ctrl+W / Cmd+W, or tap Wikipedia. A Wikipedia article summary opens in a popup.

Dictionary and Wikipedia lookups are single-language by design — they follow the language of the selection, not your reading language.

Whole-book translation

For extended passages, or a whole book in a language you're learning, enable book translation mode from the reader menu. This translates paragraphs inline as you scroll, showing the translation below each original paragraph.

Notes:

  • Network-bound: every new paragraph sends a request to your chosen translation provider.
  • Respects your provider setting. Book-translate makes many requests, so high-quality translators with generous daily quotas (DeepL Pro, AI Gateway) suit it best.
  • Reading position and annotations still work the same — only the display changes.

Turn it off again from the same menu when you want to read monolingually.