Paperlib PDF Translation Extension (pdf2zh)

A Paperlib extension that integrates pdf2zh_next for translating academic PDFs directly from your library.

Features

• One-click PDF translation via CLI subprocess
• Preserves formulas, charts, and layout
• Real-time progress display in the detail panel
• Monolingual and bilingual output
• Configurable default open version

Prerequisites

Install pdf2zh_next:

# Using pip
pip install pdf2zh-next

# Using uv
uv tool install pdf2zh-next

Verify installation:

pdf2zh_next --version

Installation

1. Clone and build:

git clone https://github.com/starandhonor/paperlib-pdf2zh-translate-extension.git
cd paperlib-pdf2zh-translate-extension
npm install
npm run build

2. In Paperlib: File → Preferences → Extensions → Install from Path → select the project root directory.

Usage

1. Select a paper with a PDF in your library.
2. Trigger translation via one of:
   • Right-click → "Translate PDF (pdf2zh)"
   • Command bar: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → "Translate PDF"
3. Progress is shown in the detail panel slot. Wait for completion.
4. Translated PDFs appear as updated files or supplementaries depending on your settings.

Preferences

| Setting | Default | Description | |---------|---------|-------------| | Target Language | Chinese (zh) | Translation target language | | Translation Service | Google | Backend service (Google, Bing, DeepL, OpenAI, Ollama, DeepSeek, SiliconFlow, OpenAI Compatible) | | Output Mode | Both | Generate monolingual only, bilingual only, or both | | Default Open | Bilingual translation | Which version opens by default after translation: original, monolingual, or bilingual | | Timeout (minutes) | 30 | Maximum wait time per translation | | pdf2zh_next Binary Path | /home/user/.local/bin/pdf2zh_next | Absolute path to the pdf2zh_next executable |

Service-specific configuration

For OpenAI, DeepSeek, SiliconFlow, etc., set environment variables before launching Paperlib:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
export OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://api.openai.com/v1"
export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY="sk-..."

Build

npm install
npm run build

Output: dist/main.js.

License

MIT