Frequently asked questions
Short answers about what Pairline is and what it does today.
What is Pairline?
Pairline is a Chrome extension that adds lightweight interlinear translations close to the original text on the webpages you already read, so the meaning stays in context.
Is Pairline a translator?
It does translate text, but unlike a conventional page translator it keeps the source as the primary reading layer. Pairline does not replace the page with another language: the original stays visible and the annotations sit close to it.
How does the translation work?
Pairline uses Chrome's built-in, on-device translation. Page text is processed in your browser and is not sent to Pairline-owned servers. Pairline does not operate a translation server.
Does Pairline send the pages I read to a server?
Pairline does not operate a cloud translation service. Page text is processed using Chrome's on-device language capabilities and is not sent to Pairline-owned servers.
Why does Chrome sometimes need to download something?
The first time you use some language pairs, Chrome may need to download local language resources. Chrome manages those resources on your device.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up, no account and no user database. Your settings and the necessary cache stay on your device.
Which websites are supported?
Pairline is designed for general web reading. It has enhanced handling for Reddit and has been tested across news sites, blogs, government pages, forums, technical pages, portals and older HTML layouts. Compatibility still varies because websites can use very different markup and can change at any time.
Which languages are available?
The website and the extension interface are available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, German and French. Actual translation availability depends on Chrome, the device, and the source and target language pair.
Does it cost anything?
Pairline 0.1.8 Public Beta is free.