macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install translate-shellprovider-native install command
brew / rank 3060
Install translate-shell with Homebrew
Command-line translator using Google Translate and more. Version 0.9.7.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Command-line translator using Google Translate and more
Project links
Commands and aliases
- trans
history
Project history and usage
Translate Shell is a POSIX-oriented command-line translator, distributed as the `trans` command, that queries online translation engines from a terminal. It began under the name Google Translate CLI and later broadened into a multi-engine tool.
Project history
The official README identifies Translate Shell as formerly Google Translate CLI and describes Google Translate as the default engine, with Bing Translator, Yandex.Translate, and Apertium also supported. The tool is implemented around GNU Awk plus a shell wrapper, which made it unusually portable for a network-facing terminal utility.
The project documents multiple installation styles: a self-contained downloadable executable, package-manager installation, Zsh Antigen integration, Git builds, and Docker. Official release metadata shows the 0.9.6 line active through the late 2010s and the 0.9.7 line released in 2022 and 2023.
Adoption history
Translate Shell became a package-manager staple because it solved a common terminal-user problem without requiring a browser or GUI. Its README says it works on GNU/Linux, macOS, BSD, Android through Termux, and Windows through WSL, Cygwin, or MSYS2, and the input facts show packaging across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, MacPorts, Nix, and openSUSE.
The tool's adoption also reflects shell culture: it can translate command arguments, standard input, multi-line text, or interactive shell input, and optional dependencies such as rlwrap, paging tools, text-to-speech programs, and spell checkers improve the terminal experience without becoming mandatory.
How it is used
Users call `trans` with source and target language expressions, such as `:fr`, `en:zh`, or multiple target languages joined with plus signs. It supports verbose output, brief mode, dictionary mode, language identification, interactive shell mode, standard input, and optional display handling for bidirectional scripts.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, Translate Shell is the classic example of turning a web translation service into a Unix filter. It is small enough to install everywhere, scriptable enough for dotfiles and editor hooks, and packaged widely enough that the same `trans` muscle memory works across Linux distributions and macOS.
Its Awk implementation and self-contained executable also make it a useful case study in packaging network-dependent command-line tools: the binary-like script is easy to distribute, while optional dependencies and upstream web-service changes are where maintainers feel the operational cost.
Timeline
- Early project: The README states that Translate Shell was formerly Google Translate CLI.
- 2017-2020: Official GitHub releases show the 0.9.6 series continuing through several maintenance releases.
- 2022: Official GitHub releases list version 0.9.7.
- 2023: The official man page and GitHub releases list version 0.9.7.1.
Related projects
- Translate Shell is related to online translation engines such as Google Translate, Bing Translator, Yandex.Translate, and Apertium. In packaging terms it also sits near terminal dictionary, text-to-speech, and shell productivity tools.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: yellow
generalized runtime or code generation signal.
Risk classifier
yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime
Why
- generalized runtime or code generation signal
Signals
- text:shell
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
~/.translate-shell/init.trans$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/translate-shell/init.trans
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
trans | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version0.9.7.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:translate-shell |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.9.7.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://www.soimort.org/translate-shell |
| Repository | https://github.com/soimort/translate-shell |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation