OpenVoiceOS Translate Server

Expose OVOS language detection and translation plugins over HTTP.

The OVOS Translate Server allows any OpenVoiceOS-compatible translation or language detection plugin to run as a lightweight web service. This makes it easy to integrate translation features into any application or device using simple HTTP requests.

Great for local or cloud deployments, and ideal for use with the OVOS companion plugin to provide translation capabilities to your voice assistant.

Usage Guide

Install the Server

pip install ovos-translate-server

Run the Server

ovos-translate-server \
  --tx-engine ovos-translate-plugin-nllb \
  --detect-engine ovos-lang-detector-classics-plugin

Make Requests

Once the server is running (default on http://0.0.0.0:9686), you can access endpoints like:

  • Auto-detect source language: GET /translate/en/o meu nome é Casimiro → "My name is Casimiro"

  • Specify source and target language: GET /translate/pt/en/o meu nome é Casimiro → "My name is Casimiro"

  • Language detection: GET /detect/o meu nome é Casimiro → "pt"

Command-Line Options

$ ovos-translate-server --help
usage: ovos-translate-server [-h] [--tx-engine TX_ENGINE] [--detect-engine DETECT_ENGINE] [--port PORT] [--host HOST]

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --tx-engine TX_ENGINE
                        translate plugin to be used
  --detect-engine DETECT_ENGINE
                        lang detection plugin to be used
  --port PORT           port number
  --host HOST           host

Technical Overview

  • Plugin-based: Uses the OVOS Plugin Manager to dynamically load any compatible plugin by name.
  • RESTful API: Simple HTTP endpoints allow you to send and receive translations from any app.
  • Language Detection Support: Works with any OVOS lang-detection plugin.
  • Easy Deployment: Perfect for running locally, inside Docker, or on a small server.

Docker Deployment

Use Prebuilt Images

Check out ovos-docker-tx for prebuilt containers.

Build Your Own

Create a Dockerfile:

FROM python:3.7

RUN pip install ovos-utils==0.0.15
RUN pip install ovos-plugin-manager==0.0.4
RUN pip install ovos-translate-server==0.0.1

# Install your plugins
RUN pip install {PLUGIN_HERE}

ENTRYPOINT ovos-translate-server --tx-engine {PLUGIN_HERE} --detect-engine {PLUGIN_HERE}

Build the image:

docker build . -t my_ovos_translate_plugin

Run the container:

docker run -p 8080:9686 my_ovos_translate_plugin

Each plugin can provide its own Dockerfile using ovos-translate-server as the entrypoint.

Companion Plugin Integration

To use this server with an OVOS voice assistant instance, install:

pip install ovos-translate-server-plugin

Then configure your mycroft.conf:

{
  "language": {
    "detection_module": "ovos-lang-detector-plugin-server",
    "translation_module": "ovos-translate-plugin-server",
    "ovos-translate-plugin-server": {
      "host": "http://localhost:9686",
      "verify_ssl": false
    },
    "ovos-lang-detector-plugin-server": {
      "host": "http://localhost:9686",
      "verify_ssl": false
    }
  }
}

Tips & Caveats

  • Some translation plugins auto-detect language; others require you to specify source_lang.
  • Network errors or unresponsive servers will trigger fallback plugins, if configured.
  • For production, consider placing the service behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS enabled.

With the OVOS Translate Server, adding multi-language support to your voice assistant is just an HTTP request away.