A free desktop app for editing translation files: next-i18next, Paraglide, TypeScript and Figma, in one grid, with local or cloud AI to fill the gaps.
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Retrans shows every key and language side by side, makes missing translations impossible to miss, tracks what has been reviewed, and saves only what you changed, so your git diffs stay small. No account, no server, no usage limits.
| Platform | Requirements |
|---|---|
| macOS | Apple Silicon (M1 and later) or Intel, macOS 11 Big Sur or newer. Pick the aarch64 download for Apple Silicon and x64 for Intel. |
| Windows | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit |
| Linux | 64-bit (x86-64): AppImage for any distribution, .deb for Debian and Ubuntu, or .rpm for Fedora |
Once installed, Retrans updates itself on macOS, Windows and with the Linux AppImage: new versions are offered inside the app. The .deb package is updated by installing the newer .deb.
Releases aren't code-signed yet, so the system warns the first time you open Retrans.
- macOS: open the app once (macOS says it can't verify the developer), then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. On macOS 14 and older you can also right-click the app and choose Open. If macOS ever says the app "is damaged", run
xattr -cr /Applications/Retrans.apponce in Terminal and open it again. - Windows: when SmartScreen appears, click More info, then Run anyway.
- Linux (AppImage): make it executable with
chmod +x Retrans_*.AppImage, then run it. If it doesn't start, installlibfuse2(libfuse2t64on Ubuntu 24.04). - Linux (.deb):
sudo apt install ./Retrans_*_amd64.deb. - Linux (.rpm):
sudo dnf install ./Retrans-*.x86_64.rpm.
| Format | How Retrans opens it |
|---|---|
| next-i18next (JSON) | Directly. Saves rewrite only the values you changed; key order, formatting and comments stay as they were. |
| Paraglide / inlang | Directly, the same way. |
| TypeScript locale modules | Imported into a workspace that syncs when your code changes and writes back a minimal diff. |
Figma Variables (.tokens.json) |
Opened directly or imported into a workspace; export back changes only the text values. |
A workspace can also be exported to i18next JSON or Paraglide, and New project starts one that isn't tied to any format.
- One grid for every key and language, as a list or a table. Missing translations stand out, and Tab jumps to the next one.
- Review status that travels. Every translation is missing, waiting for review or reviewed. When the base text changes, even in your editor or through a
git pull, the cell says Source changed. Status lives in.retrans/and is shared through git. - Local or cloud AI. A built-in model (TranslateGemma or Qwen) runs entirely on your computer. You can also use OpenAI, Claude, any OpenAI-compatible API (OpenRouter, Groq, DeepSeek, Ollama, LM Studio…), or an AI agent you already have through ACP (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI).
- Many languages in one run. Translate every missing string in all your languages at once, with your own instructions for tone and terms, per project or per language.
- Translator packages. Send a translator a
.zip. They open it in Retrans and send it back, and you import their work with a clear view of what changed and any conflicts. - Tabs, auto-save and undo. Keep several projects open, never lose an edit (even after a crash), and undo anything, including a whole AI translation run.
- Light and dark mode, following your system.
The guide covers each of these in detail.
Retrans has no account and no telemetry. With the built-in model, your text never leaves your computer: the only network traffic is the model download from huggingface.co and update checks on github.com. Text is sent elsewhere only if you choose a cloud provider or an AI agent, and Retrans asks first, naming where it goes. API keys are stored in the macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager or your Linux desktop's keyring (GNOME Keyring or KWallet), never in files.
You need Node.js 20.16+ (or 22.3+), pnpm, Rust with the Tauri 2 prerequisites, and CMake.
pnpm install
pnpm tauri devCONTRIBUTING.md covers tests, builds and releases.
Retrans is free and open source under the MIT License.
The optional TranslateGemma models are covered by their own Gemma terms of use, which the app shows before you download one.