Translate screenshots and selected text instantly with a single hotkey. No subscriptions, no limits, 100% privacy-friendly.
Cmd + Ctrl + C- Capture screenshot & auto-translateCmd + Shift + X- Translate selected textEsc- Close popover / Cancel capture
# Download the latest release from GitHub
# Visit: https://github.com/buingoclam147/snap-translate/releases
# Or download directly with curl:
curl -L https://github.com/buingoclam147/snap-translate/releases/download/v2.1.1/TSnap.dmg -o ~/Downloads/TSnap.dmg
# Open DMG and drag TSnap.app to Applications folder
open ~/Downloads/TSnap.dmgPrerequisites:
- macOS 12.0 or later
- Xcode 14.0+ or Swift 5.9+
Clone & Build:
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/buingoclam147/snap-translate.git
cd snap-translate
# Run debug build
./run-debug.sh
# Or build release
./build-release.sh- Press
Cmd + Ctrl + Cto capture any region on screen - Automatic text extraction (supports English + Vietnamese)
- High-accuracy character recognition
- Confidence scoring for each text block
- One-click cancellation with
ESCkey - Instant display in Translator popover
- 4 Smart Translation Engines with Auto-Fallback:
- MyMemory (most stable, free, recommended)
- LibreTranslate (open-source, self-hosted option)
- Google Translate (fast, reverse-engineered)
- DeepL (highest quality, requires API key)
- Automatic provider fallback on failure
- 3 automatic retry attempts
- Supports 15+ languages
- Real-time translation (2s debounce)
- Native macOS speech synthesis (AVSpeechSynthesizer)
- 15+ language voices with native pronunciation
- Adjustable speech speed (optimized rates for words vs. sentences)
- Single-word optimization for dictionary-style pronunciation
- Full-sentence optimization for natural speech
- Play/Pause/Stop controls
- Real-time translation as you type
- Language swap in one click
- Copy translation to clipboard
- Paste text from clipboard
- Manual text input
- Auto language detection
- Translation history display
- Speaker icon for text-to-speech
- Custom language selection
- Visual source/target language indicators
- Translate Selected Text - Press
Cmd + Shift + Xon any highlighted text - Auto Language Detection - Automatically detects source language
- Custom Hotkeys - Customize all hotkeys in settings
- Auto-close Popover - Set custom auto-close delay (1-3600 seconds, default 10s)
- Language Memory - App remembers your last used languages
- Persistent Settings - All preferences saved automatically
- Dark Mode Support - Full light/dark theme support
- Smart Popover Reuse - Pressing translate hotkey again fills new text instead of opening duplicate window
TSnap is designed for Apple Silicon. To unlock its full potential, grant the following permissions:
Purpose: Needed for screenshot capture and OCR text extraction.
How to Enable:
- Open System Settings
- Navigate to Privacy & Security (left sidebar)
- Scroll down and click Screen & System Audio Recording
- Click the + (plus) button
- Select TSnap from Applications folder
- Click Open
Alternative: When you first use the capture feature (Cmd + Ctrl + C), macOS will prompt you automatically.
Polling Timeout: If you don't grant permission within 3 minutes, you'll need to manually enable it.
Purpose: Needed for Cmd + Shift + X hotkey to detect text you've highlighted in other apps.
How to Enable:
- Open System Settings
- Navigate to Privacy & Security (left sidebar)
- Scroll down and click Accessibility
- Click the + (plus) button
- Select TSnap from Applications folder
- Click Open
Note: Without this permission, Cmd + Shift + X won't work, but you can still use Cmd + Ctrl + C to capture screenshots.
1. Press Cmd + Ctrl + C
2. Drag to select area with text
3. Text appears in Translator popover
4. Result auto-translates
5. Click speaker icon to hear pronunciation
6. Click copy button to copy to clipboard
1. Select any text on screen in ANY app
2. Press Cmd + Shift + X
3. Translation appears in popover
4. Popover auto-closes after 10 seconds (configurable)
5. Click speaker icon or copy button as needed
1. Click TSnap icon on menu bar
2. Type or paste text in input field
3. Choose source/target language
4. Real-time translation appears instantly
5. Use speaker or copy as needed
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| OS | macOS 12.0 or later |
| Processor | Apple Silicon (recommended) |
| RAM | 50-100 MB |
| Disk Space | ~20 MB |
| Screen Recording | Required (for screenshot capture) |
| Accessibility | Required (for Cmd + Shift + X) |
| Internet | Required for translation APIs |
When you open TSnap for the first time:
-
Gatekeeper Warning (Expected)
"TSnap" is damaged and can't be opened. You should move it to the Trash.This is normal! The app is not signed with Apple's certificates.
-
How to Fix:
Option A: Right-click Open (Easy)
1. Right-click TSnap.app in Applications folder 2. Click "Open" 3. Click "Open" in the dialog that appears 4. App is now permanently allowedOption B: Terminal Command (Advanced)
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/TSnap.app
-
Permission Prompts
- Screen Recording: Grant when prompted or set manually (see Setup & Permissions)
- Accessibility: Grant when prompted or set manually (see Setup & Permissions)
-
Done!
- All hotkeys now work
- Translator available via menu bar icon
- Full functionality enabled
./run-debug.sh- Clears build cache
- Builds in debug mode
- Runs app directly
- Useful for testing changes
./build-release.sh- Creates proper app bundle
- Generates DMG (macOS standard)
- Creates ZIP (alternative format)
- Output in
releases/folder
snap-translate/
├── Sources/SnapTranslate/
│ ├── App/ # App entry point & delegate
│ ├── Services/ # Backend services
│ │ ├── TranslationService.swift
│ │ ├── OCRService.swift
│ │ ├── CaptureService.swift
│ │ ├── SpeechService.swift
│ │ ├── HotKeyService.swift
│ │ └── EscapeKeyService.swift
│ ├── ViewModels/ # State management
│ ├── Views/ # UI components
│ │ ├── TranslatorPopoverView.swift
│ │ ├── ResultPopoverView.swift
│ │ └── QuickNotificationView.swift
│ ├── Assets.xcassets/ # Images & icons
│ └── Utilities/ # Helper functions
├── run-debug.sh # Development script
├── build-release.sh # Release script
├── Package.swift # Swift Package manifest
├── README.md # This file
└── FEATURES.md # Detailed documentation
- TranslationService - Translation with retry logic & provider fallback
- OCRService - Text extraction from images using Vision Framework
- CaptureService - Screen capture with region selection
- SpeechService - Text-to-speech with multiple language support
- HotKeyService - Global hotkey listener (Carbon API)
- EscapeKeyService - ESC key & translate hotkey detection
✅ Privacy Features:
- No user tracking
- No analytics
- No data collection
- 100% client-side processing
- Public API endpoints only
- Open-source & verifiable
✅ Permission Transparency:
| Permission | Required | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Recording | Yes | Capture screenshots & OCR |
| Accessibility | Yes | Detect selected text (Cmd+Shift+X) |
| Internet | Yes | Translation APIs |
| Microphone | No | Speaker output only |
| Camera | No | Not used |
| Contacts | No | Not used |
| Files | No | Not used |
✅ API Security:
- MyMemory: Free public API, no authentication needed
- LibreTranslate: Open-source service, can be self-hosted
- Google Translate: Reverse-engineered API (use at your own discretion)
- DeepL: Optional premium API key (user-provided, encrypted in UserDefaults)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| OCR Processing | < 500ms |
| Translation | 500ms - 2s (depends on provider) |
| UI Response | < 100ms |
| Memory Usage | 50-100 MB |
| CPU (Idle) | < 5% |
| App Launch | ~1-2 seconds |
- Open TSnap (click menu bar icon)
- Click ⚙️ Settings button in popover
- Customize OCR & Translate hotkeys
- Settings auto-saved to UserDefaults
Configure how long the popover stays open after translation completes:
- Click ⚙️ Settings in the popover
- Under "Popover Options", enter desired delay in seconds (1-3600)
- Default is 10 seconds
- Example: Set to 30 for longer reading time, or 3600 to disable auto-close
TSnap automatically remembers your language choices:
- Source language: Default English
- Target language: Default Vietnamese
- Changes persist across sessions
Enable in Settings under "OCR Options" to prioritize Chinese character recognition (Simplified & Traditional)
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
README.md |
Quick start & overview (this file) |
FEATURES.md |
Detailed documentation |
run-debug.sh |
Development build & run script |
build-release.sh |
Production release builder |
Package.swift |
Swift Package definition |
XCODE_SETUP.md |
Xcode project setup guide |
DEEPL_API_SETUP.md |
DeepL API configuration |
Love TSnap? Help support development:
- GitHub Sponsors - Direct monthly support
- Buy Me a Coffee - One-time donation
Your support helps:
- Add new translation providers
- Improve OCR accuracy
- Expand language support
- Add new features
- Maintain free & open development
Found a bug or have a feature request?
- GitHub Issues: Report here
- Email: buingoclam00@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: Bui Lam Frontend
TSnap is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.
- Supported Languages: 15+
- Translation Providers: 4 (MyMemory, LibreTranslate, Google, DeepL)
- TTS Languages: 15+
- Code Size: ~2000+ lines of Swift
- Build Time: ~30 seconds
- App Size: ~20 MB
- Open Source: Yes
- Subscription Required: No
A: Yes, translation requires internet connection. Screenshot capture and basic UI work offline.
A: Yes! TSnap is 100% client-side. No data is stored or sent anywhere except to public translation APIs. All processing happens on your device.
A: Yes! Open Settings (⚙️) in the popover to customize all hotkeys.
A: Translation: 15+ languages (English, Vietnamese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian). OCR: English & Vietnamese.
A: The app isn't signed with Apple's developer certificate. This is normal for unsigned apps. See "First Time Launch" section above.
A: Yes! TSnap automatically falls back to other providers if one fails, ensuring translation always works.
A: Drag TSnap.app to Trash, or run: rm -rf /Applications/TSnap.app
A: No, TSnap is completely free and open-source.
A: Yes! You can configure a DeepL API key in settings for higher quality translations.
A: TSnap uses macOS native voices. Quality varies by language. You can adjust speech speed in settings.
- Frontend: SwiftUI + AppKit
- Backend: Async/await + GCD
- Networking: URLSession
- OCR: Vision Framework
- TTS: AVFoundation (AVSpeechSynthesizer)
- Hotkeys: Carbon API
- Storage: UserDefaults
- Pattern: MVVM + Services
| Provider | Limit | Latency | Quality | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyMemory | 500 chars | 300-500ms | Good | None |
| LibreTranslate | 50,000 chars | 500ms-1s | Good | Optional |
| 5,000 chars | 200-400ms | Excellent | None | |
| DeepL | 50,000 chars | 500ms-2s | Excellent | API Key |
English, Vietnamese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Thai, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian
- GitHub: @buingoclam147
- LinkedIn: Bui Lam Frontend
- Email: buingoclam00@gmail.com
- Sponsors: GitHub Sponsors
- Coffee: Buy Me a Coffee
- Screenshot capture with OCR (English + Vietnamese)
- 4 translation providers with auto-fallback
- 15+ language support
- Text-to-speech with optimized rates
- Selected text translation (Cmd+Shift+X)
- Custom hotkeys (OCR & Translate)
- Configurable auto-close popover (1-3600 seconds)
- Smart popover reuse (no duplicate windows)
- Chinese OCR prioritization option
- Full privacy-focused, no tracking
TSnap uses public translation APIs. Usage is subject to each provider's terms of service:
- MyMemory: Terms
- LibreTranslate: Terms
- Google: Reverse-engineered API, use at your own discretion
- DeepL: Requires valid API key and complies with DeepL Terms
