Inspiration

We wanted to learn languages through topics and communities we care about, rather than memorizing material in structured courses.

What it does

Passport translates as you type in webpage text fields, suggests words, and reconstructs sentences for natural grammar. Users can explore meanings and pronunciation across five languages.

How we built it

We built a Firefox/Zen extension using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Local dictionaries provide fast suggestions, Jev optionally ranks candidates, and Gemini or local Ollama models reconstruct sentences.

Challenges we ran into

Balancing speed and accuracy, navigating browser permissions, building onboarding, refining keyboard controls, and filtering unreliable dictionary entries.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

A working prototype that brings translation directly into emails and searches, with a compact interface and opportunities to learn individual words.

What we learned

Good translation needs context. Reliable suggestions, predictable controls, and testing on real webpages matter as much as the model itself.

What's next for Passport

Public Firefox and Chrome releases, more languages, improved practice-mode accuracy, and broader website compatibility.

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