What is bilibili-entocn?

Bilibili-EnToCn is a browser extension that translates English text into Chinese while you type inside text fields on Bilibili, a Chinese video platform. It works in comment boxes, search fields, and the danmaku bar, which is the scrolling comment overlay that appears on top of videos. The extension runs quietly in the background with no extra buttons or panels to manage, and it uses native browser input events so Bilibili's own website code recognizes the translated text as if you had typed it directly. The main reason to use this tool is that Bilibili's search and community features are built around Chinese characters. Typing a search in English often returns few or no results, so translating a query before searching opens up far more videos and creators to find. Similarly, most people who post and comment on Bilibili write in Chinese, so translating your own comments lets you take part in conversations, reply to creators, and ask questions in a way people are likely to understand. There are two ways to trigger a translation. The first is to type your English text into any input field and press Alt+T (or Option+T on a Mac), and the field flashes blue briefly before the Chinese translation appears. The second is to type "/zh" followed by your English text, then press Enter or Tab, which removes the "/zh" prefix and replaces it with the translated text. Installing the extension requires developer mode since it is not yet listed on the Chrome Web Store. A user downloads the repository as a ZIP file, unzips it, opens their browser's extensions page (Chrome, Edge, or Brave all work), turns on developer mode, and loads the unpacked folder. From there, the extension can be configured to use one of three translation services: Google Translate, which needs no setup, or DeepL and Microsoft Translator, which both require the user to supply their own API key. The project is small, currently with a single star, and written in JavaScript. It is aimed at English speakers who want an easier way to browse and interact with Bilibili without switching between translation tools and the site itself.