Translation (LibreTranslate)#

The Translate tab is powered by LibreTranslate, an open-source, self-hostable machine-translation server. Searpa calls it server-side, no third-party translation service is involved.

Enabling the tab#

Point Searpa at a LibreTranslate instance with LIBRETRANSLATE_URL:

LIBRETRANSLATE_URL=http://libretranslate:5000

Set it and the Translate tab (and its setting) appear, with whatever languages that instance offers.
Leave it unset and the Translate tab and its setting are disabled entirely.

Running LibreTranslate#

The development stack starts a local LibreTranslate automatically (make up brings one up at http://localhost:5000). For production, run your own, for example:

services:
  libretranslate:
    image: libretranslate/libretranslate
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"

Then set LIBRETRANSLATE_URL to its address (use the internal service name if both run in the same Docker network).

Optional settings#

Variable	When you need it
`LIBRETRANSLATE_API_KEY`	Only if your LibreTranslate enforces keys (`LT_API_KEYS=true`).
`LIBRETRANSLATE_ORIGIN_COUNTRY`	Two-letter country code for the flag shown beside “Translate” in Settings → Engines → Data sources (default `fr`). The instance can be hosted anywhere; this is cosmetic.

Status#

LibreTranslate exposes a free /languages endpoint, so Searpa’s /status page probes it directly and reports whether translation is currently available.