Log inSubmit server
Live Translate MCP logo

Live Translate MCP

by waxberry-dev

Translates English and Mandarin WAV speech with local Whisper and Piper, using Claude for text translation.

InstallRepositoryWebsite
Full README Compare alternatives Embed widget Claim this listing

Install Live Translate MCP

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "waxberry-dev-live-translate-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "live-translate-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Values are written into the snippet above so you can paste it as is. They never leave your browser.

We couldn’t confirm it starts correctly

We ran the install command but it didn't respond within our test window — this can mean a slow first-time install rather than a real problem.

npx -y live-translate-mcp

No response to initialize.

This is an experimental automated check and can have false negatives — missing environment variables, a slow cold install, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong. Last checked 1mo ago.

Overview

The waxberry-dev/live-translate-mcp MCP server translates English and Mandarin speech from WAV files or base64-encoded WAV audio. It runs Whisper transcription and Piper speech synthesis locally, while sending the transcription to the Claude API for translation. Use it when an MCP client needs spoken translation with local audio processing and automatic playback or base64 audio output. An Anthropic API key, Node.js 18+, and espeak-ng are required.

Use cases

  • Translate recorded English or Mandarin conversations
  • Generate spoken translations beside source WAV files
  • Process in-memory WAV audio in an application
  • Check local speech dependencies before translation

Key features

  • English and Mandarin speech translation
  • Local Whisper transcription
  • Claude API text translation
  • Local Piper TTS synthesis
  • WAV file and base64 audio inputs
  • Dependency health checks

Tools3

What Live Translate MCP lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Self-reported~141 tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked Today

Recent health check succeeded.

19/20 checks healthy over the last 86d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 16d ago via OSV.dev · live-translate-mcp (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars3Stargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads284Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit4mo agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Install checkInconclusiveDidn't respond in our test window — often a slow first install.
Tools exposed3Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity1 upvotesConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Live Translate MCP works

What waxberry-dev/live-translate-mcp MCP server does

The waxberry-dev/live-translate-mcp MCP server adds English-to-Mandarin and Mandarin-to-English speech translation tools to compatible MCP clients. It accepts WAV audio, identifies whether the speech is English or Mandarin, transcribes it with Whisper, sends the resulting text to Claude for translation, and converts the translated text back into speech with Piper TTS.

Audio processing stays on the local machine for speech recognition and synthesis. The translated text is sent to the Anthropic API; the source audio itself is not uploaded by these processing stages. The project is intended for Claude Desktop and Claude Code workflows where an agent needs to listen to a recording and return spoken output.

How it works

For file-based requests, translate_file receives an absolute WAV path. The server performs the full pipeline, writes a translated WAV file beside the source using a _translated.wav suffix, and plays the result automatically. The tool returns the original transcription, the translated text, and the output path.

For applications that already hold audio in memory, translate_speech accepts a base64-encoded WAV string. Its response contains the transcription, translation, and generated speech encoded as base64 WAV data, avoiding the need to manage an input or output file through the tool.

Whisper model data and Piper voice files are downloaded on first use and cached under ~/.live-translate/ by default. The supported speech languages are English and Mandarin Chinese, with language detection handled automatically.

Setup and configuration

Run the waxberry-dev/live-translate-mcp MCP server with Node.js 18 or newer:

Terminal
npx -y live-translate-mcp

Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in the server environment. This credential is required because Claude performs the text translation. Install espeak-ng separately so Piper can phonemise text; macOS users can install it with Homebrew, while Linux users can use their distribution package manager.

Piper voice files normally use ~/.live-translate/voices. Set PIPER_VOICE_DIR when the voice files are stored elsewhere. The Whisper and Piper model downloads occur automatically on the first translation request.

In Claude Desktop, register the server with the npx command and pass the API key through the MCP server's env configuration. Claude Code can add the same server through its MCP configuration, with the API key available in the process environment or MCP environment settings.

Tools and capabilities

  • translate_file translates an absolute-path WAV recording, saves a sibling translated WAV file, and starts playback.
  • translate_speech handles base64-encoded WAV input and returns base64-encoded synthesized WAV output alongside the text results.
  • health_check checks whether the Whisper cache, Piper voice files, and espeak-ng are available before translation.

The waxberry-dev/live-translate-mcp MCP server is suitable for meeting clips, recorded conversations, and programmatic audio workflows. It does not provide a general offline translation pipeline: Claude remains necessary for the translation step, even though transcription and speech synthesis are local.

Limitations and notes

Input audio is documented as WAV, and file requests require an absolute path. Translation is limited to English and Mandarin Chinese. Audio processing is partly offline rather than fully offline because translated text is sent to Claude through the Anthropic API. The first request may need to download approximately 150 MB of Whisper model data and approximately 200 MB of Piper voice models, which are then cached locally.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to share how it worked for you.

Frequently Asked Questions about Live Translate MCP

Run `npx -y live-translate-mcp` with Node.js 18 or newer. You also need `espeak-ng` and an Anthropic API key.

Yes. Add it to Claude Desktop's MCP configuration with the `npx -y live-translate-mcp` command and set `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` in the server environment.

It supports English and Mandarin Chinese speech, with language detection handled automatically.

Only partly. Whisper transcription and Piper speech synthesis run locally, but the translated text is sent to the Claude API.

Related MCP servers

All in Translation Services All alternatives
Add a badge to your READMEShow it’s listed — live SVG, Markdown or HTML.

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Full Badge Customizer

Showcase your server listing on GitHub or your project documentation. Embed this dynamic SVG badge to highlight official listing status and live engagement.

Badge Style:
Live Dynamic SVG PreviewLive Translate MCP AllMCPs Directory Badge
Markdown (GitHub README)
[![AllMCPs](https://allmcps.com/api/badge/waxberry-dev-live-translate-mcp?style=directory)](https://allmcps.com/mcp/waxberry-dev-live-translate-mcp)
HTML Embed
<a href="https://allmcps.com/mcp/waxberry-dev-live-translate-mcp"><img src="https://allmcps.com/api/badge/waxberry-dev-live-translate-mcp?style=directory" alt="Live Translate MCP on AllMCPs" /></a>