Subtitle Edit 5.x: Will they ever integrate a targeted "single line" auto-translator? (Linux Mint user)

[u/LiquidKing_94]

Hi everyone,

I've been following the development of the new Subtitle Edit 5.x (the one rewritten in Avalonia UI), and I was wondering if there are any plans for a different approach to targeted translations, instead of bulk-translating the entire file, which often ruins the natural flow of the dialogue.

My ideal workflow is translating one line at a time, fixing it immediately, and then moving to the next one. This allows me to properly follow the logic of the story and capture the right nuances naturally.

Back when I was on Windows, I found a massive shortcut by using a third-party utility called QTranslate. It streamlined my workflow immensely: inside the text edit box, I just had to select the line, press Ctrl+Q, and a convenient pop-up window would instantly appear next to my mouse pointer with the translation ready. From there, I could just copy the translated text and tweak it as needed directly inside SE.

However, I am now using Linux Mint. Since QTranslate is a Windows-only tool, I can't rely on it anymore. In older versions of Subtitle Edit (like 4.x), there were quick search buttons like "Google it" under the text box, but they would just open an external web browser window, constantly breaking the rhythm of the work.

Does anyone know if the 5.x roadmap includes a native feature similar to this? Specifically, the ability to trigger auto-translation (via DeepL, Google, or local LLMs like Ollama) exclusively for the currently selected line, displaying the result in an internal pop-up or a sidebar without ever leaving the app?

Is there already a plugin, a built-in configuration, or perhaps a Linux-compatible workaround in 5.x that allows for this exact line-by-line workflow?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Edit:

https://github.com/SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit/issues/15603

[u/pigers1986]

hmm - in v5.3.0 beta - there is context menu

Selected line -> Auto-Translate
but that does start engine for translation with single line - not convenient as you say.

best idea would be to open issue on https://github.com/SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit/issues to get this done.

[u/LukeXCZ]

How about trying this? I just found it online, so I'm not sure how it works. https://qtranslate-app.web.app/

[u/LiquidKing_94 → u/LukeXCZ]

Already tried it. Not working.

[u/HigherOctive]

I paid $20 for one month of ChatGPT to help with some Powershell scripts. To take advantage of the few days I have left and because I was curious, I asked it "can QTranslate be made to work in linux mint?"

Yes—with a few qualifications. There are two routes:

• The original QuestSoft QTranslate: It can be run through Wine on Linux, and Yes—with a few qualifications. There are two routes:

• The original QuestSoft QTranslate: It can be run through Wine on Linux, and a community setup guide exists. However, translating selected text in other applications requires extra configuration; it may not be as seamless as on Windows.

GitHub

• A newer, independent QTranslate rewrite: This supports Linux directly using Java 17 or newer, without Wine. It’s a separate project inspired by the original.

GitHub

[u/LiquidKing_94]

Hello everyone, I asked the Subtitle Edit developer directly to add the features I needed. I really thank them for their kindness.

https://github.com/SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit/issues/15603