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As of 3 days ago (March, 2021), with Firefox v78.8.0esr (64-bit), I cannot install unverified (unsigned) add-ons [extensions] anymore. And existing extensions that they have deemed as dangerous I can no longer use. And there is no way for the user to override this.

Mozilla has determined what will and will not be installed onto my browser (installed on my laptop). I understand that this non-signed addon thing has been implemented for some time now, but perhaps I didn't notice until recently. Google Chrome pulled something similar and Brave has been my browser ever since for Chrome compatibility.

So is there any workaround that allows me to take back control and install whatever browser add-on I want?

As you can see, the previous workarounds are not valid anymore for more recent builds.

Edit: I ended up using WaterFox as my default Mozilla browser

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This issue might be temporary. If you can afford it, I would wait a few days that the developers takes action to get back to Firefox addons portal. If the addon page mentions it, you can even probably contact the developers to let them know about this issue.

Then, if this addon does not come back, then it might mean something bad about it : either it is not maintained anymore or maybe really present a security risk. There are plenty of translation addons available, so I would advise looking for a new one.
FYI the signing process for Firefox addons is simple, free, and I don't really see a reason why someone could prefer avoiding it.

Last, if you really need to use this one, you can get the .xpi file (form AMO page or GitHub or whatever source is available). Once you have it, go to Firefox addons manager (about:addons), click on the settings icon and select "Debug addons". Debug addons menu From there, you'll be able to load a temporary addon and use it. But it will last only until Firefox is closed, you'll have to redo this trick every time you start Firefox.

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  • Addon was signed. It was deleted for unknown reasons. The developer is looking into it with mozilla; unknown how long that will take. There are plenty of UNSIGNED FF addons that are still available. The workflow of this app was preferred to other apps. The larger issue that Mozilla unilaterally shut down app with no specifics as to what it is doing incorrectly and no ability to properly override it sounds dictatorial. Yes, I can use a different app or even a different browser (Brave, Waterfox), but that ignores the fact that the user really had no choice in the matter.
    – Jon Grah
    Commented Mar 9, 2021 at 23:06

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