Digital Prototype

Translator.io was developed with a paramount objective in mind: bridging the language gap among Discord users. We set out to create a remarkable Discord bot that would seamlessly facilitate language translation between individuals hailing from diverse linguistic backgrounds within a single Discord server. To materialize this vision, our focus centered on crafting four pivotal features, namely automatic translation, manual translation, message broadcasting across multiple language groups, and the ability to locate users based on specific language proficiencies.

Each of these remarkable functionalities, except for automatic translation, manifests as a handy slash command, enabling Discord users to perform these commands within their respective servers. During the design phase of each feature, our primary aim was to empower users by granting them the freedom to opt into particular functionalities and register their preferred language settings, thereby unlocking tailor-made translations catered specifically to their needs. Consequently, alongside each feature, we provided users with a treasure trove of slash commands, including the ability to enable automatic translation, enhance discoverability, register a preferred language, and establish a server-wide default language.

Throughout the journey of design and development, we remained steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding user anonymity whenever they wished to employ specific features and slash commands. To fulfill this commitment, we ingeniously harnessed Discord’s ephemeral message capabilities, leveraging them wherever feasible and opportune. Ephemeral messages, concealed within the confines of a server, were skillfully employed as private messages dispatched to individual users, fostering an environment of confidentiality. However, along the way we encountered challenges while making Translator.io, especially during the development of automatic translation. Initially, our grand vision involved the transmission of automatic translations to each user as ephemeral messages, ensuring seamless comprehension of ongoing conversations without exposing others’ translations. Unfortunately, we ran into a problem—Discord’s ephemeral message functionalities were contingent upon replying to a user-sent message. Thus, Translator.io was rendered unable to disseminate ephemeral messages to every single user populating the Discord server.

This unexpected hurdle necessitated a swift and decisive shift in our approach. We gracefully pivoted away from relying on ephemeral messages for automatic translation, opting instead to dispatch individual direct messages (DMs) containing the desired translations to each user present within the server. While this pivot introduced a slight impediment to users’ ability to seamlessly track conversations, we endeavored to compensate by furnishing them with comprehensive DMs that encapsulate the translation’s contextual nuances along with a handy hyperlink directing them back to the original message.

By conquering these obstacles and embracing the journey, Translator.io has blossomed into a versatile language companion, harmoniously blending intricacy and variability to overcome linguistic barriers within the vibrant tapestry of Discord’s global community.

To demonstrate some of the features, we’ll provide some context about the feature and screenshots of the feature in action. The first feature is the automatic translation feature. Here someone has put a message in the text channel and now another user has gotten the translation in their preferred language as a DM from Translator.io.

Now, we’ll show the manual translation feature. Unlike the automatic translation, a user must use the slash command to get the translation. Here is a user that used the translate command and got a translation for their input message.

Now, we’ll show the announce feature. The announce command broadcasts a message in the user’s selected languages to all the users in the server. The selected languages don’t necessarily have to be their preferred languages. They can be any set of languages that the user wants to have their message translated to. Here is an image of a user that has used the announce command and gotten the translations.

Now, we’ll show the language matchmaking feature. With the use of the search command a user can see all other users in the server that speak a specific language. This allows users to find and connect with other users in the server that speak a specific language. The following screenshot is the search command in action where a user is trying to find all users that are registered for a specific language.

We would greatly appreciate it if you would try out Translator.io and see how it works for yourself. To use Translator.io, you will need to invite it to your Discord server which can be done by first creating a discord server if you don’t have one already and then going to this link. Also, click on the following link to access our GitHub repository.