AI Translation

Combine Content Translator with Kirby Copilot for AI-powered translations using models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, or Mistral.

Starting with v3.9, Kirby Content Translator integrates with Kirby Copilot to offer AI-powered translations as an alternative to DeepL. Use your preferred AI provider – OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, or Mistral – for translating content in the Kirby Panel.

When both DeepL and Copilot are available, you can choose your preferred translation provider:

Content Translator multi-language translation dialog

Although AI translations are slower and potentially more costly than DeepL, they excel at handling nuanced content and specific terminology. Their context-aware nature often results in more natural translations.

Supported Providers

OpenAI

Translations with ChatGPT, basically.

Google

Gemini models for high-quality translations.

Anthropic

Claude models for nuanced content generation.

Mistral

European AI models with multilingual strengths.

Setup

No additional Content Translator configuration is required. The plugin automatically detects when Kirby Copilot is installed and configured.

Step 1: Install Kirby Copilot

Follow the Kirby Copilot installation guide to install the plugin.

Step 2: Configure Your AI Provider

Add your AI provider configuration to config.php:

config.php

return [
    'johannschopplich.copilot' => [
        'provider' => 'openai',
        'providers' => [
            'openai' => [
                'apiKey' => env('OPENAI_API_KEY'),
                'model' => 'gpt-5-mini'
            ]
        ]
    ]
];

See the Copilot Global Configuration for all provider options.

Step 3: Translate Content

When you click the → All Languages button, a dialog appears letting you choose between DeepL and the AI provider:

Provider	Description
DeepL	Your configured DeepL API or custom translation function.
AI Provider	The AI model provider configured in Kirby Copilot (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, or Mistral).

If only Copilot is configured (no DeepL), AI translation will be used automatically without showing the provider dialog.

DeepL vs AI Translation

Aspect	DeepL	AI Translation
Translation Quality	Excellent for European languages	Context-aware, handles nuance well
Speed	Very fast	Slower, depends on model and content size
Cost	500k chars/month free, then paid	Based on AI provider pricing
Best For	High-volume, straightforward content	Creative content, specific terminology

You can use both providers depending on your needs. The provider selection dialog remembers your last choice for convenience.

Custom Provider Translations

If your client prefers a different name for the AI provider (e.g., "ChatGPT" instead of "OpenAI"), you can customize the translation key per language. For example, append the following to your languages/en.php file:

languages/en.php

return [
    'code' => 'en',
    'name' => 'English',
    'translations' => [
        'johannschopplich.content-translator.provider.openai' => 'ChatGPT',
    ]
];

See the plugin's translations.php for the full list of translation keys.

Licensing

AI translation requires both plugins to be properly licensed for production use:

Kirby Content Translator license for the translation features
Kirby Copilot license for the AI provider integration

You can test AI translation in local or development environments without any limitations.

DeepL

Configure DeepL as your translation provider with API key and request options.

Custom Translator Fn

Set up a custom translation function to use your own translation service or logic.