Mastodon EngineeringWe just tagged the release candidate for Mastodon 4.4.0 for testing. Full release notes and update instructions are available on our GitHub release page.
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/releases/tag/v4.4.0-rc.1
We've also shared a blog post about features that developers will want to know about coming in 4.4.
https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/07/mastodon-4-4-for-devs/
Now would be a great time to update any translations that you're able to help us with. See our project on CrowdIn.
https://crowdin.com/project/mastodon
If all goes well, we hope to release 4.4.0 next week... and then, it's straight on to work on what's next in 4.5!
kechpaja@MastodonEngineering Any chance of getting https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/pull/31134 merged in 4.5? It's a trivial change and almost certainly harmless.
FinchHaven sfbaWhy are there still so many posts from both individual posters and entire instances where translation is neither offered nor allowed (http 403 or 503)
Certainly if #Mastodon wants to compete as #SocialMedia on a #GlobalStage translations into the reader's stated Interface Language should be mandatory, unless explicitly prohibited on an individual poster-by-poster basis
What gives?
As it is now, I #Mute and #Block posters who will not let me translate their posts into a language I can read
Why do I want to give up my very finite screen space to posts I'll never be able to read?
I don't, and I won't
I'm on an instance currently running v4.3.7
Claire (testing!!)@FinchHaven @MastodonEngineering translations go through your server and do not depend on the other user's server
they are only offered when the posting language differs from the interface language (so it has to be properly set), and the post is not private (out of privacy concerns mostly)
I find it counter-intuitive that all translations are handled locally only by my own instance, given that I see such widely-varying options offered and results obtained
These post are not private -- else how do I overrule that privacy setting and see these posts in my Home feed only because the poster uses a hashtag I follow?
But net-net-net the result remains the same: if I cannot translate a post (and I go to the poster's profile and see if they post that way consistently, and/or if their instance allows translations at all) for whatever reason, why should I let an untranslatable post take up my finite screen space?
I don't: Mute and Block
With all due respect, given how much I've looked into this issue (including posting an Issue on Github, which was ignored) there really seems to be more going on here than is found in your simple explanation
@FinchHaven @MastodonEngineering do you have a link to that issue?
Yes, here, opened on Nov 10, 2024:
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/32825
The issue was that, if the Interface Language was set by both the poster and the reader to the same language (EN for example) and yet the post was *written* in a different language (FR here) no option to translate was offered
I was on v4.4.0-alpha.1+glitch (don't remember instance name now, might have been Infosec dot exchange?) so this may be ancient history now
Water under the bridge now, since now I don't even seem to see either the poster's or my Interface language display on my current (v4.3.7) instance
Posts in a foreign language offer no translation of any kind, when posting language is set to EN · Issue #32825 · mastodon/mastodon
Steps to reproduce the problem View post in Home feed, written in French. Post is tagged with EN Search for any means to translate French into English. No translation option exists in the post itse...
And actually, while we're at this, maybe I can get a definitive answer that I've had for eons:
Is all translation handled locally, on my instance's end?
Currently SFBA seems to use LibreTranslate, while Hachyderm uses (last time I checked) DeepL
But it's all handled locally?
Renaud Chaput@FinchHaven Yes, translations are all handled at the instance level, using the service your admin decided to configure (if they did decide to use a translation service)
@ClearlyClaire
Thank you. I've wondered, but never received a response from someone I trusted to know
cc @ClearlyClaire
@FinchHaven @renchap just to make things extra clear, how this works is:
- your client (WebUI or otherwise) asks your own server to translate the post for you
- the server uses the configured backend (so far DeepL or LibreTranslate) to translate the post; this requires the external service to translate the post for the server, but in LibreTranslate's case, this service can be self-hosted
- your client (WebUI or otherwise) asks your own server to translate the post for you
- the server uses the configured backend (so far DeepL or LibreTranslate) to translate the post; this requires the external service to translate the post for the server, but in LibreTranslate's case, this service can be self-hosted
Thanks for your replies
Good to hear from someone I know to be authoritative, rather than some Masto Rando...
cc @renchap
@FinchHaven @MastodonEngineering ah, yes, this hasn't changed: as i said previously, translation is offered if “the posting language differs from the interface language”; in the case you're describing, the language is unfortunately set incorrectly
Mastodon 4.4.0 provides some automatic language detection in the web interface to try and nudge the users to specify the correct language (this still requires manual work from the user, because such automatic detection is not always reliable)
Chewie@FinchHaven @MastodonEngineering mastodon uses libretranslate (or a cloudy service) to do the translation. It's not part of the mastodon project.
Also, it's not up to the poster to decide if they will allow someone to translate their posts - it is done by the server.
Not everyone sets up libretranslate, and even then, you have to choose what languages you want to translate between.
Errors 403.and 503 sound like a badly set up server.
The option to translate should only appear if the translation service can translate that particular language into your particular language.
Lizzie she/her@MastodonEngineering how about returning the spellcheck?
@Lizette603_23 @MastodonEngineering we have never removed spellcheck, we have always let the browser do it based on the language selected in the language picker
what is the exact issue you are experiencing? what application are you using to post? if it's the Mastodon web interface through a browser, which browser are you using, and on which version?
@ClearlyClaire I use mastodon on the web, have always, and when I used to misspell there would be a squiggly HEY indication underneath and options for correction. I use the most current version of chrome
@Lizette603_23 hi! looking into it, it may be a behavior change from Chrome itself
Firefox does change the spellcheck language automatically, but Chrome appears not to do so (anymore?)
you can right-click in the compose box, select “Spell check” and select the appropriate language
if it's not there, “Language settings” should bring you to a page that has “Preferred languages” with an “Add languages” button
@ClearlyClaire thank you SO MUCH. IT'S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In the most platonic way, I absolutely love you.
In the most platonic way, I absolutely love you.
@ClearlyClaire Such a seemingly small thing, but makes me sooooo happy
@ClearlyClaire I love you more than my compression socks.
@ClearlyClaire thanks for responding
@ClearlyClaire The exact issue is that no more squiggly line
@ClearlyClaire I'm computer ancient literate....go to mastodon.social to create account, thereafter the link I saved takes me here.
MeaTLoTioN@MastodonEngineering anything to watch out for or any gotchas when upgrading from 4.3.8 to 4.4.0?
@meatlotion take a look through the release notes which contain upgrade instructions - nothing specific beyond what is covered there. You will want to take a close look at the details of updated dependencies, though.
🍉 دانیال بهزادی@MastodonEngineering
I wish it was on weblate
I wish it was on weblate