Translator

A sleek macOS menu bar translator — powered by Google Gemini & Apple's on-device translation.

Lives quietly in your menu bar. No dock icon, no window clutter. Just type and translate.

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✨ Features

🧭 Menu bar app	Always a click away — no dock icon, no separate window.
🔀 Two engines	Gemini (free tier, very natural output) or Apple (fully offline, no key).
⚡ Auto-translate	Translates ~0.6 s after you stop typing (debounced to save quota).
📸 Screenshot translate	Drag a box over any text on screen — it's recognized and translated (Gemini only).
↔️ Swap languages	Flip source and target with one tap.
⚙️ Settings window	Set app language & Gemini API key in one place — stored permanently.
📋 One-click copy	Send the result straight to your clipboard.

Supported languages: German · English · French · Spanish · Italian

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📦 Requirements

• 🖥️ macOS 15 or newer (required for Apple's on-device translation)
• 🔑 Optional: a free Gemini API key for the Gemini engine
• 🛠️ Xcode 16 or newer — only if you build from source

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🚀 Installation

⬇️ Download (easiest)

1. Go to the latest release and download Translator.zip.
2. Unzip it and drag Translator.app into your Applications folder.
3. On first launch, right-click the app → "Open" and confirm. (This step is required because the app is not notarized by Apple. You only need to do it once.)

🔨 Build from source (for developers)

git clone [email protected]:alirezasalehfar/translator.git
cd translator

1. Open Translator.xcodeproj in Xcode.
2. Under Signing & Capabilities, select your Team (a free Apple account is enough for local use).
3. Set the scheme to Release (optional), then Product → Build (⌘B).
4. In the navigator, expand Products, right-click Translator.app → Show in Finder, and drag it into Applications.

🔁 Launch at login

System Settings → General → Login Items → "Open at Login" → add Translator.app with +.

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🔧 Setup

🔑 Gemini API key (for the Gemini engine)

1. Sign in at aistudio.google.com/apikey.
2. Create API key → new project → copy the key.
3. In the app, click the gear ⚙️ (top-right) or press ⌘,.
4. Paste it into Gemini API key → Save & Close.

Note

The key is stored locally in the app's settings and is never part of the source code — safe to push to a public repo.

Warning

On the free tier, Google may use your input text to improve its models — don't paste sensitive content. Usage stays free as long as no billing is enabled.

📸 Screen recording permission

The first time you use screenshot translation, macOS asks for Screen Recording access:

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording → enable the app and restart it once.

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📖 Usage

1. Click the speech-bubble icon in the menu bar.
2. Pick an engine: Gemini or Apple (offline).
3. Choose source & target languages (↔ swaps direction).
4. Type your text — it translates automatically, or hit Translate.
5. For text inside an image, click the scan icon and drag over the area.
6. Copy puts the result on your clipboard.

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🧱 Tech overview

• 🎨 SwiftUI with MenuBarExtra (window style) for menu bar integration
• 🍎 Apple Translation framework (import Translation) for offline translation
• 🤖 Google Gemini API (gemini-2.5-flash) for text & image translation
• 💾 Settings persisted via @AppStorage (UserDefaults)
• 🖼️ Screenshots via the system screencapture -i tool

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📝 Notes

• The app is locally self-signed. On first launch, right-click → Open if Gatekeeper complains.
• In Gemini mode without a key, the app shows a friendly reminder to add one in Settings.

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Made with SwiftUI · Runs on your Mac 🖥️