BabelChat

Break the language barrier in World of Warcraft

The Problem

You join a PUG raid. The tank explains tactics — in Spanish. The healer asks something — in German. Nobody understands each other. Sound familiar?

BabelChat fixes this. It translates WoW chat in real time — gaming terms instantly (built in), and full sentences via an optional free companion app.

Quick Start

1. Install the addon. That's it — gaming terms (lfm, brez, gilded, M+, delves…) now translate automatically right in your chat. No setup, no keys, no account, completely free.

2. Pick your language (optional): type /babel config and choose your language from the dropdown.

3. Want full-sentence translation too? (optional) Download the free companion app from GitHub — see the Companion App section below. The in-game dictionary keeps working with or without it.

> New here? Just install and play — step 1 already does the most useful part for free.

Key Features

Standalone — addon only (100% free, no account):

380+ gaming terms translated in 14 languages — lfm, wts, dps, ez, copium, delves, gilded, M+, RIO…
Clean annotation below the original message (no inline color spam)
13 categories incl. a current Endgame & Midnight set (delves, crests, gear tracks, Warbands)
Hyperlink-aware — never breaks item/spell/achievement links
Works out of the box, no API keys needed

With the optional companion app (also free):

Full sentence translation of live chat
Smart overlay on top of WoW with channel colors
Streaming — original shows instantly, translation arrives 0.5–2s later
Read-only memory access — never writes, injects, or automates
Choose your translation provider: DeepL or Microsoft Translator (see below)

"Is the app free? Why a credit card?"

Yes — BabelChat (addon and companion) is free and always will be. The companion just needs a translation provider's API key:

DeepL — free tier (500,000 chars/month). DeepL asks for a credit card to verify the account; it never charges you on the free tier. The card prompt comes from DeepL, not from BabelChat.
Microsoft Translator — free tier (2M chars/month), no credit card required. Pick this if you'd rather not give DeepL a card.

You choose either one in the companion app's setup.

Dictionary

380+ terms × 14 languages:

Category	Examples	Count
Social & Slang	ty, gg, brb, ez, copium, go next, kek	104
Classes & Specs	dk, ret, bm, disc, resto, boomkin	59
Raid & Dungeon	wipe, prog, soak, kite, brez, vault	54
Combat	aggro, aoe, cc, dps, dot, cleave	33
Groups	lfm, lf1m, premade, pug	29
Endgame & Midnight	delves, M+, gilded/runed crest, warband, gear tracks	22
Stats	crit, haste, mastery, vers, ilvl	19
Professions	jc, bs, enchant, herb, alch	17
Trade	wtb, wts, bis, mats, cod	8
+ Zones	5000+ zone names via LibBabble	—

Languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), Polish, Swedish, Norwegian.

Commands

/babel — Show help
/babel config — Open settings
/babel on/off — Toggle dictionary
/babel test — Test with sample message
/babel companion — Companion app status

Companion App

For full sentence translation, download the free companion app: https://github.com/Yumash/BabelChat

Run it alongside WoW and enable it in the addon (AddOns > BabelChat > Companion App). It reads the addon's chat buffer via ReadProcessMemory (read-only — no injection, no automation) and shows translations in a sleek overlay. Translation runs through DeepL or Microsoft Translator — your choice (see the free/credit-card note above).

Credits

BabelChat's dictionary is based on WoW Translator by Pirson (MIT License) — 314 original terms in 14 languages. We added slang plus a current Endgame/Midnight set, rewrote the translation engine for clean output, and built the companion app.

Pirson — Dictionary data & in-game translation idea — Buy Me a Coffee
Andrey Yumashev — BabelChat addon, companion app, DictEngine v2
AhegaoZKun — Linux/Wayland support & Microsoft Translator backend

License

MIT License — free to use, modify, and distribute.

BabelChat Translator