Hey everyone! I'm on the hunt for a good translation API that won't break the bank. I'm specifically looking for options that are either free or low-cost and are reliable and easy to use. I've already looked into the Google Translate API, but it feels a bit too expensive for my needs. Are there any other alternatives you would recommend? Thanks for your help!
2 Answers
Are you looking for something that works in real-time or do batch processing? Also, how many words are you estimating for translation? Just a heads-up, Google's API gives you $10 of free usage monthly, so for smaller projects, it can be pretty cost-effective. But finding a truly free service for unlimited translation is tough because of the heavy resource costs involved.
If you're open to DIY, consider running your own translation models like Meta's NLLB-200. Just keep in mind that it might be kind of slow without GPU support. It could save you some cash if you're tech-savvy enough to set it up!
I'm primarily looking for real-time translations. For my project, I'm dealing with around 500,000 to 1 million words from about 60 books. I'm worried that even a premium plan could rack up expenses quickly, especially with potential user demand. I'm leaning towards creating my own dictionary based on the unique words from my texts, even though I know that's going to take some time.