Introduction
What Karpa is, and why it exists.
What is Karpa?
Karpa is a privacy-first AI translation app that runs on your machine. Use Ollama or LM Studio to translate locally, or connect a cloud provider with your own API key. Local translation stays on your device. When you choose a cloud provider, your text is sent to that provider.
Why Karpa?
- Your choice of model: use a local runtime or a supported cloud provider.
- Offline translation: work without internet after downloading and configuring a local model.
- Free and open source: Karpa is MIT-licensed. Cloud API usage may carry provider fees.
- Desktop and self-hosted: install on Windows, macOS, or Linux, or run with Docker.
- Control over your data: keep translation history on your device and clear it in Settings.
Supported Providers
| Provider | Type | API Key |
|---|---|---|
| LM Studio | Local, runs on your machine | No |
| Ollama | Local, runs on your machine | No |
| OpenAI | Cloud, GPT-4o family and more | Yes |
| Anthropic | Cloud, Claude models | Yes |
| Google Gemini | Cloud, Gemini Flash and Pro | Yes |
| OpenRouter | Cloud, 200+ models behind one API | Yes |
| Custom | Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint | Optional |
Features at a glance
- Local or cloud: translations run through the provider you configure. Local providers keep text on your machine; cloud providers receive your text.
- Multi-Provider: switch between LM Studio, Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter, or a custom endpoint at any time.
- 27 Languages with auto-detect: English, Turkish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Vietnamese, Thai, Hindi, Czech, Romanian, Ukrainian, Greek, Hungarian, Danish, Finnish, Indonesian, Bengali.
- Text & File Translation: translate plain text or files (
.txt,.md,.json,.csv,.srt,.js,.ts,.py,.html,.css,.xml, and other text formats), then download the result. - Translation Tones: Standard, Formal, Casual, or Technical.
- History & Favorites: every translation is auto-saved; star the ones you want to keep.
- Progress & Cancellation: real-time progress bar with chunk tracking and a cancel button for long translations.
- Notifications: desktop notifications with an optional sound when a translation finishes.
- Text-to-Speech: listen to translations aloud.
- Theming: Light, Dark, or System theme, plus an AMOLED-friendly option. Interface available in English, Turkish, German, French, and Spanish.
- Data Backup: export and import your history, favorites, and settings as JSON.
- Desktop App: native desktop app built with Tauri. Installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux. No browser needed.
- Docker Support: Docker Compose, Docker pull from GHCR, or build your own image.
Tech stack
| Category | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | Next.js |
| UI Library | React |
| Language | TypeScript |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS v4 |
| Components | shadcn/ui + Radix UI |
| Animations | Framer Motion |
| Desktop | Tauri (Rust) |
| AI Backend | LM Studio, Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter, Custom |
Ready to get started? The Quick Start guide gets you translating in minutes.
Made by Eren Çakar