Fingertip Translation

中文文档

A simple and efficient text translation plugin for Obsidian that supports multiple translation services, trigger modes, and automatic pronunciation.

Features

• Selection Translation - Hold Ctrl and select text to translate, or use direct selection
• Multiple Translation Services - Supports Bing Dictionary, Youdao (automatic Plus/Webpage switching), MyMemory
• Dictionary Format - Bing/Youdao display part of speech and exam categories (CET-4, CET-6, etc.)
• Auto Pronunciation - Automatically plays pronunciation after successful translation (toggleable)
• Multiple Accents - Supports US English and UK English
• Lightweight - No API Key required, works out of the box

Installation

Method 1: Development Setup

git clone <repo-url>
cd obsidian-fingertip-translation
npm install
npm run dev

Method 2: Manual Installation

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Run npm run build to compile
3. Copy main.js, styles.css, and manifest.json to your vault plugin folder:

   VaultFolder/.obsidian/plugins/fingertip-translation/
   

4. Enable the plugin in Obsidian settings

Usage

1. Select the text you want to translate in a note
2. A popover will display the translation result (including phonetic symbols, part of speech, definitions)
3. Click the speaker button to manually play pronunciation
4. With "Auto Pronunciation" enabled, pronunciation plays automatically after successful translation
5. Drag the popover to adjust its position
6. Press ESC or click outside to close the popover

Settings

Option	Description	Default
Translation Service	Bing Dictionary / Youdao / MyMemory	Youdao
Trigger Mode	Ctrl+Select / Direct Select	Ctrl+Select
Pronunciation Source	Youdao Audio / Browser TTS	Youdao Audio
Auto Pronunciation	Auto play after translation	Off
Pronunciation Accent	US English / UK English	US English
Show Phonetic	Display phonetic symbols	On
Phonetic Mode	Single accent / Both US and UK	Both
Show Category	Display CET-4, CET-6, etc.	On

Tech Stack

• Language: TypeScript
• Bundler: esbuild
• API: Obsidian requestUrl() (bypasses CORS)

Project Structure

src/
├── main.ts                       # Plugin main entry
├── settings.ts                   # Settings interface
├── tts.ts                        # Pronunciation (Web Speech API)
├── translator-mymemory.ts        # MyMemory Translation API
├── translator-bing.ts            # Bing Dictionary
└── translator-youdao-integrated.ts # Youdao Dictionary (Integrated Plus + Webpage)

styles.css                        # Popover styles
manifest.json                     # Plugin manifest

Translation Services

Service	Free Quota	API Key	Dictionary Format	Notes
Bing Dictionary	Unlimited	Not needed	Part of speech	Recommended
Youdao Dictionary	Unlimited	Not needed	Collins/Exam/Category	Auto fallback
MyMemory	1000/day	Not needed	None	-

Youdao Features:

• Prefers Plus API for richer data
• Auto switches to webpage version when Plus API returns no match
• Displays exam category tags (CET-4, CET-6, Gaokao, IELTS, TOEFL, etc.)
• Shows US/UK accent labels for phonetics

Developer Guide

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Development mode (watch for changes and auto-compile)
npm run dev

# Production build
npm run build

License

BSD-0

References

• Obsidian Plugin Development Docs
• Youdao Dictionary API
• Bing Dictionary
• MyMemory Translation API