Sherlyn Olalo
A calm web translator built with Next.js 15 and React 19, with auto-detect, text-to-speech, and a persistent history drawer. It uses Google's public endpoint with an automatic MyMemory fallback, so it works with no API keys.
Most translation tools feel cold and busy. Harsh white screens, buttons to click, ads to dodge, and a layout that rushes you. I wanted the opposite. Something quiet that you could just type into and read, without the interface getting in the way. The goal was a translator that felt calm to use, not one more cluttered utility.
Vocumi is a translator with a warm, cozy feel. You type, and it translates as you go. No buttons, no confirming, no rush. The whole thing leans on soft cream tones and a serif typeface for the translation itself, so reading feels gentle.
A few decisions I'm proud of:
Tech stack: Next.js 15 with edge API routes, React 19 and strict TypeScript, Tailwind for the custom palette, and Framer Motion for the small animations that make it feel alive.
Translate as you type — a debounced input sends your text once you pause, so there's nothing to press
Auto-detect with a confidence badge — it guesses the source language and shows how sure it is
Resilient by default — Google is the primary translator, and if it stumbles, MyMemory takes over automatically; no API keys needed, ever
This project showed me how much the feel of a tool matters, not just what it does. Small things like warm colors, the right serif, and removing buttons changed the whole experience. I also learned to plan for failure early—building the MyMemory fallback from the start kept the app reliable without bolting it on later. If I came back to it, I'd add saved phrase collections and offline support.