If you work with Chinese, you probably know Baidu Translate (百度翻译). It's one of the most widely used translators in China, and its Chinese is excellent, from Mandarin and Cantonese to Classical Chinese.
Lexibird is built for the people on both sides of that conversation: a sourcing manager in Hamburg writing to a factory in Dongguan, a student in Shanghai reading English research, or a support team answering customers in Taiwan and Brazil on the same afternoon. You choose the AI model behind each translation, and everyone uses the app in their own language.
At a glance
| Lexibird | Baidu Translate (百度翻译) | |
|---|---|---|
| Translation engine | Your choice of Claude, GPT, or Gemini models, or Auto | Baidu's AI translation |
| App interface | 30 languages, including Simplified and Traditional Chinese | Chinese |
| Chinese variants | Simplified, Traditional, and Cantonese | Mandarin, Cantonese, Classical Chinese, and more |
| Terminology | Glossaries shared across a team workspace | Terminology library and translation memory |
| Desktop | Mac and Windows, with screen capture | Desktop app with selection and screenshot translation |
| Audio | Transcribe recordings, dictate, listen to translations | Audio and video transcription, live interpretation |
| Team privacy | Zero data retention and single sign-on on Business | Enterprise edition and private deployment |
What is Lexibird?
Lexibird is an AI translator for people and teams who work across languages every day. It translates text in more than 200 languages with leading AI models, and handles documents, screenshots, recordings, a dictionary, and glossaries in one app on the web, Mac, Windows, and in Chromium browsers. The interface itself is available in 30 languages, from English and German to 简体中文 and 繁體中文.
What is Baidu Translate (百度翻译)?
Baidu Translate (百度翻译) is the translation service from Baidu, China's largest search company. It offers text, document, and image translation, an AI translation mode with custom instructions, a terminology library and translation memory, and specialized tools such as academic paper translation. Beyond the web, it has a desktop app, a mobile app with photo translation and live interpretation, and an API and enterprise edition for businesses.
1. Pick the model that fits the message
Baidu Translate runs on Baidu's own AI. Lexibird lets you choose from leading AI models in the Claude, GPT, and Gemini families, or leave it on Auto.
The difference shows up in everyday business Chinese. When a supplier ends a message with "辛苦了", a literal rendering gives you "you have worked hard", which sounds odd in English. A good model writes "thanks for all your hard work", which is what the supplier meant. Going the other way, if your English email says "let's not gild the lily", the model can reach for a natural Chinese equivalent like 画蛇添足 instead of a sentence about flowers. If one model's version isn't quite right, run it through another and compare.
2. One app for the whole team, in their own language
Baidu Translate's website is designed for Chinese speakers, which is ideal in China and less so for a colleague in Munich or São Paulo.
Lexibird's interface comes in 30 languages, including Simplified and Traditional Chinese. A team in Shenzhen can use it in Chinese while their counterparts in Germany and Brazil use it in German and Portuguese, all in the same workspace, with the same glossary of product names and specifications. When the buyer in Hamburg and the engineer in Shenzhen both translate "tolerance" or a part number, they get the same term.
3. Documents, screenshots, and recordings in one place
Supplier quotes, product specs, and certificates usually arrive as files. Lexibird's document translation handles PDFs, Word files, slide decks, and spreadsheets, keeps the layout, and processes several files at once.
When text is stuck in an image, such as a WeChat screenshot or a photo of a product label, Lexibird reads it with OCR and translates it. On a Mac or Windows PC, you can capture part of your screen directly. Recorded calls and voice memos can be transcribed and translated too, so a factory walk-through recorded on a phone becomes a readable English summary.
4. Privacy controls for international teams
Teams handling contracts and pricing often need to know exactly where their text goes. On Lexibird's Business plan, zero data retention is on by default: text is sent only to AI providers that don't keep it, and if none is available, the request stops rather than going elsewhere. Business also adds single sign-on with SAML or OIDC, so access works the same way as your other company tools.
Which one should you choose?
If you live and work in China and want a Chinese-first translator with live interpretation and paper translation built in, Baidu Translate (百度翻译) is a natural fit.
If your work spans China and the rest of the world, choose Lexibird if you want:
- Claude, GPT, and Gemini models that understand the meaning behind phrases like 辛苦了
- An app every teammate can use in their own language
- Shared glossaries that keep part names and specifications consistent
- Zero data retention for sensitive supplier and customer conversations
Try Lexibird on the next message from your partners in China and see how naturally it reads.
