Quick Translate Mail

Translate incoming emails and outgoing replies in Thunderbird with Microsoft or Google. No API keys required.

Полное описание:

Quick Translate Mail helps you read foreign-language emails and write replies in another language directly in Thunderbird. No translation account, API key or custom server setup is required.

Translate incoming emails

Click Translate in the message header or use the message context menu. Read the translation in place, then switch back to the original whenever you need. The stored email remains unchanged.

Need just one passage? Select the text and translate it separately.

Write replies in another language

Write your message in your preferred language, then translate it in the compose window. Translate the whole editable body or just a selection. Recognized Thunderbird signatures and quoted correspondence are skipped.

Remember something after translating? Click Restore original, add your text and translate again. Review the result before sending — the extension never sends messages for you.

Choose your languages and translation service
- Use Microsoft or Google, without configuring API keys.
- Set separate target languages for incoming and outgoing messages.
- Choose another language for an individual reply: right-click the compose translation button and select “Translate into another language…”, or press Ctrl+Alt+L.
- Keep different target languages in different open compose windows.
Make it yours

Settings and built-in Help are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The interface follows Thunderbird’s language, with English as the fallback, or you can choose it manually. Light, dark and system appearance options are included.

Getting started
1. Click the Quick Translate Mail icon in Thunderbird’s main extensions toolbar to open Settings.
2. Read the data-transmission explanation and enable “Allow cloud translation” if you agree.
3. Choose your translation service and target languages.
4. Open an email or compose a reply and use its translation button.
Privacy and limitations

Cloud translation is disabled by default. After you enable it, text is sent directly to your selected Microsoft or Google service only when you request translation. Message text may contain personal information. There is no automatic switching between providers.

The extension does not upload attachments or separately include sender, recipient or subject fields. It contains no analytics or advertising. Translation requires an internet connection; service availability and limits may change. Please read the full privacy policy before enabling cloud translation.

Compatible with Thunderbird 128 and later.

What data is sent and why

Quick Translate Mail performs cloud translation via a user-selected service—Microsoft or Google. Upon a translation command, the text of an open email, the text in the outgoing message editor, or a selected fragment is sent to this service, along with the chosen language and technical parameters of the translation request. The purpose of this transmission is to obtain a translation and display it in Thunderbird.

The translated text may contain personal information: names, addresses, phone numbers, and other data from the correspondence. The extension does not automatically remove such information. When translating outgoing messages, recognized Thunderbird signatures and quotes are skipped, but this does not guarantee the removal of all confidential information.

The extension does not separately add sender, recipient, and subject fields, does not upload attachments, and does not send the contents of mail folders. However, matching information will reach the service if it is present directly within the translated text. Text in images is neither recognized nor translated.

Over an HTTPS connection, the provider also receives the client's IP address and standard network headers. The extension does not add advertising identifiers, mail account identifiers, or usage analytics.

User consent and service selection

Cloud translation is disabled by default. To allow text transmission, you need to read the explanation in the settings and enable the "Allow cloud translation" option. Prior to this, translation requests are not executed. Upon installation or update without previously granted consent, the settings page opens.

After enabling permission, each translation is still initiated solely by your command. Simply opening an email or typing text does not send anything to the translator. The provider is selected in the "Translation service" field. Text is transmitted only to the selected service; there is no automatic switching between Microsoft and Google or vice versa.

Permission can be disabled at any time. New requests and subsequent parts of pending translations will be blocked, and the extension's cache will be cleared. Revoking consent does not cancel an already sent request and does not delete data previously received by the provider.

Who receives the data

Requests are sent directly to Microsoft or Google via HTTPS. The Quick Translate Mail developer's server does not participate in processing the translation. Obtaining a user API key and logging into the translator account are not required.

Retention periods, further processing, and terms of data use by the third-party service are determined by the respective provider. Quick Translate Mail does not control these terms and does not guarantee the immediate deletion of text on the Microsoft or Google side. Keep this in mind when working with confidential correspondence.

What is stored on the computer

Languages, theme, selected service, and consent are saved locally in the Thunderbird extension storage. The translation cache resides solely in the background page's RAM, and the original copy for restoration resides in the memory of the open editor. The extension does not create a separate persistent translation database and does not send these local stores to the developer.

Incoming translation only changes the display of the message: the saved source email remains unchanged. In the composition window, the translation becomes part of the draft. Its standard saving and sending are handled by Thunderbird in accordance with the email client and account settings.

Analytics, cookies, and links

Quick Translate Mail contains no analytics, advertising, automatic error report submissions, or remotely loaded executable code. Translator requests are executed without enabling cookies via the network credentials mechanism (credentials: omit). The extension does not request access to cookies.

Links to the extension description, privacy policy, feedback, and project support open only upon clicking. When visiting, the site ideb.net may receive standard visit information, such as an IP address. The text of emails is not appended to these links. Donations are voluntary and not required for translation.

Privacy questions

You can contact the developer via the feedback form. Do not include confidential emails in your inquiry if you do not want to transmit their contents through this form.

Translation limitations

An internet connection is required for translation. Very large emails may not be processed; bulk translation of multiple selected emails is not yet supported.

If the translation fails, check your internet connection and try again later. Failures may also be related to restrictions or changes on the translation service.

It is useful to check machine translations before sending, especially if the email contains names, dates, amounts, or special terminology.

Some add-ons ask for permission to perform certain functions (example: a tab management add-on will ask permission to access your browser’s tab system).

Since you’re in control of your Thunderbird, the choice to grant or deny these requests is yours. Accepting permissions does not inherently compromise your browser’s performance or security, but in some rare cases risk may be involved.

Add-ons

Welcome to Thunderbird Add-ons.

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Quick Translate Mail 0.3.4

by Sitego

About this Add-on

Version Information

Version 0.3.4 Released Oct. 28, 2026 34.6 KiB Works with Thunderbird 128.0 and later

Add-ons

Welcome to Thunderbird Add-ons.

On the go?

Quick Translate Mail 0.3.4

by Sitego

About this Add-on

Version Information

Version 0.3.4 Released Oct. 28, 2026 34.6 KiB Works with Thunderbird 128.0 and later

Privacy Policy

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