CS2 Real-time Voice Translation

Real-time voice translation overlay for CS2 (Counter-Strike 2) that translates foreign-language teammates to English using the OpenAI Whisper API.

Features

• Non-intrusive overlay — transparent, draggable window that sits on top of CS2
• Cloud-powered — uses OpenAI Whisper API, no GPU required
• VAC-safe — no game process injection, just a display overlay
• Real-time — 2-3 second latency for translations
• Multi-language — supports Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, French, German, and more
• Smart filtering — optionally skips English audio to save API costs
• Desktop app with GUI — settings window with audio device picker, language selector, and live log panel
• Secure — API key stored in Windows Credential Manager, not in files
• WASAPI loopback — capture speaker/headphone output directly, no virtual cable needed

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Python 3.10+
• OpenAI API key (get one here)
• Internet connection

Installation

# Clone the project
git clone https://github.com/danialothman/cs2-translator.git
cd cs2-translator

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

python app.py

The settings window opens where you can:

1. Enter your OpenAI API key (stored securely in Windows Credential Manager)
2. Select an audio device — pick your speakers/headphones as a loopback device to capture game audio, or a microphone for direct input
3. Choose source language — Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, etc. or auto-detect
4. Adjust buffer duration — shorter = faster but less context, longer = more accurate
5. Toggle "Skip English" — prevents translating English-to-English
6. Click Start Translating

The overlay appears on top of your game showing timestamped translations. Drag it to reposition.

API Costs

The app uses the OpenAI Whisper API which costs $0.006 per minute of audio.

Mode	Cost	Notes
Skip English OFF	~$0.006/min	Single API call per chunk, translates everything
Skip English ON	~$0.012/min for foreign speech	Two calls (detect language + translate), but free for English chunks

A typical CS2 session costs well under $1.

Configuration

All settings are configured through the GUI and persisted in settings.json. Available options:

• Audio device — any input device or speaker loopback
• Source language — language to translate from (or auto-detect)
• Buffer duration — 2-6 seconds of audio per chunk
• Skip English — avoid translating English speech

Troubleshooting

No audio devices in dropdown

• Click Refresh to re-scan devices
• Make sure your audio device is connected and enabled in Windows Sound Settings

"Invalid API key" error

• Verify your key at platform.openai.com/api-keys
• Make sure you have credits loaded on your account

Overlay doesn't stay on top

• Run Python as administrator
• Use borderless windowed mode in CS2 (not exclusive fullscreen)

Translations are slow

• Reduce buffer duration (2-3 seconds)
• Check your internet connection

Hallucinated translations (e.g. "Thank you for watching")

• This is a known Whisper issue with silence/noise — common hallucinations are filtered automatically
• If it persists, try increasing the buffer duration

Is This Bannable?

No. This tool:

• Does not inject code into CS2
• Does not modify game files
• Does not access game memory
• Only displays a window overlay (same as Discord overlay, MSI Afterburner, etc.)

File Structure

cs2-translator/
├── app.py              # Entry point
├── settings_window.py  # GUI settings and control window
├── overlay.py          # Translation overlay display
├── translator.py       # OpenAI Whisper API integration
├── audio_capture.py    # Audio device enumeration and capture
├── config_manager.py   # Settings persistence (JSON + keyring)
├── requirements.txt    # Python dependencies
└── settings.json       # User settings (gitignored)

Credits

• OpenAI Whisper API for speech translation
• PyAudioWPatch for WASAPI loopback support

License

MIT License — free to use and modify