Translate text, selections, and screen content on Mac

Choose how to bring text into translation

A message you are writing, a paragraph in another app, and a subtitle in a video call for different ways to get the words into a translator. Frset offers three translation workflows so you can start with the text you already have.

• Input translation: Type or paste text into Translate for a message, paragraph, or draft.
• Selection translation: Select a copyable passage in another app, such as a document, web page, or message.
• Screen translation: Recognize text in a selected screen area, including an image, scanned page, app dialog, or paused video frame.

All three use Frset's translation language and service settings. You can choose a built-in service or an enabled AI provider you have configured.

Translate text you type or paste

Open Translate in Frset's search tools, enter or paste the text you want to translate, and submit it. The result appears in the tool's preview.

Use automatic source language detection or select a source language explicitly. Choose a target language to read the result in the language you need. Changing the language choices in the result preview requests another translation of the submitted text.

This works well for a short message, a paragraph you have copied, or a draft you want to read in another language. Edit the input and submit it again when you want to refine the source. Successful input translations are saved in clipboard history, where you can find and copy them later.

Translate selected text in another app

Select a copyable word, sentence, or passage in the app you are using, then invoke Frset's Translate Selection shortcut. Frset reads the selection and opens a translation panel with the source text and translated result.

You can correct or shorten the source in the panel, request another translation, and copy the completed result. This is useful while reading a web page, reviewing a document, or working through a message without first pasting the passage into a separate translator.

Selection translation needs the relevant macOS Accessibility permission. It also depends on the source app exposing readable or copyable selected text. If Frset cannot read the selection, check the permission and select a copyable passage; use screen translation for words that are only part of an image.

If you use a shortcut for the Translate search tool, enabling Run on Selected Text also lets that tool use the current selection as its input.

Translate words visible on your screen

Use Translate Screen from the menu bar or with its configured shortcut, then select the screen area containing the text. Frset recognizes the words locally and translates the recognized text using your selected service and languages.

Screen translation is useful for a scanned page, a slide, an image, an app interface, or a paused video frame where direct text selection is unavailable. Screen capture requires the relevant macOS Screen Recording permission.

You can also choose Translate from the Screenshot toolbar or continue from an OCR result without capturing the area again. The result opens in the same source-and-translation panel used for selection translation.

Review and refine the source and result

Input translation keeps the entered text in the search tool and shows the result in its preview. Selection and screen translation display the source and translation in separate sections of a standalone panel.

In that panel, edit the source to correct a recognition error, remove unrelated text, or shorten a passage. Press Return in the source field to translate the edited text again; use Shift-Return to add a line break.

The standalone panel can be resized and pinned on top as a reference beside another app. You can also enable Close on Focus Loss when you prefer the panel to close as you return to work.

Choose your languages and translation service

Use automatic source language detection when you do not know the language, or select it yourself. The language menu includes English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, and more. Available language pairs depend on the selected service.

Frset offers these translation options:

• Apple system translation: Available on macOS 15 or later. Language support and required language downloads are managed by macOS.
• Google or Microsoft translation: Built-in online services you can choose without configuring an AI provider.
• Configured AI providers: Select an enabled provider and use its configured model. Credentials are needed when that provider requires them. AI results appear progressively as text arrives.

Frset remembers your language and service choices. You can change them when a different language pair or translation service fits the task better.

For screen translation, text recognition happens locally on your Mac. Google, Microsoft, and remote AI services receive the text submitted for translation. A configured local AI provider sends requests to its configured endpoint. The Privacy Policy explains how optional online features handle submitted content.

Copy a result and find it again

Successful input translations are added to Frset's clipboard history with their source text and translated result. Use the history to revisit, copy, or organize them.

In the selection and screen translation panel, Copy Translation puts the completed result on the system clipboard and saves a translation entry in history. Paste the result into your document, note, or message, or find it later in the Clipboard Manager.

Frequently asked questions

Which translation workflow should I use?

Use input translation for text you can type or paste, selection translation for a copyable passage in another app, and screen translation for visible words that you cannot select directly.

Why can Frset not read my selected text?

Check the relevant macOS Accessibility permission and make sure the passage is selected and copyable. Some apps or content do not expose a readable selection. Screen translation provides another way to work with visible text.

Can I edit the source before translating again?

Yes. Update the input in the search tool and submit it again, or edit the source in the standalone translation panel and press Return. You can also change languages or services without selecting or capturing the text again.

Do I need an AI API key?

The built-in Google and Microsoft options and Apple system translation do not require you to configure an AI API key. When you choose an AI provider, that provider's setup and credential requirements apply.

Can I use Translation on macOS 13 or 14?

Yes. Google, Microsoft, and configured AI providers are available on those versions. Apple system translation requires macOS 15 or later and supported language resources.

Does screen translation replace text inside an image?

It displays the source and translation in a separate panel. You can read or copy the result; it does not replace the text inside the original image or app interface.

Download Frset from the Mac App Store to translate text in the workflow that fits your task, or review Pricing to compare the available plans.