Desktop Translator v0.5.1 — Selection examples

Selection translations keep the containing sentence as a study example, and Chinese-to-English wordbook entries use English as the Related Words anchor. This patch omits the example when Accessibility does not expose the selected text, which avoids a crash on some Chrome and Electron surfaces.

What's new

• Native selections capture the containing sentence when Accessibility exposes enough local text to identify it unambiguously.
• Eligible wordbook entries persist that optional example and refresh it only when a later lookup supplies a new valid sentence. Context is never invented.
• New Chinese-to-English vocabulary is stored as English source and Chinese translation, so Related Words stays English-led.
• Related Words shows the saved sentence as its subtitle when one exists, keeps concise fallback copy otherwise, and no longer shows textbook provenance details.
• Example capture now stays silent when Chrome or Electron expose only a partial accessible value.

Install

Download the .dmg and drag the app to Applications. The build is
universal: it runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

These builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so
macOS Gatekeeper will refuse the first launch. To allow it, run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Desktop Translator.app"

On first run, grant Accessibility permission when prompted, then
choose Google, Baidu, or Microsoft Translator in Settings and add
that provider's credentials. Vocabulary Study includes an offline
English to Simplified Chinese starter textbook.

The app is ad-hoc signed, so its code identity changes with every
release. After installing an update, macOS drops the old grant:
remove the stale entry in Privacy & Security → Accessibility and
add the new one.

Platform support

macOS (universal .dmg / .app) and Windows 10/11 x64 (NSIS
*_x64-setup.exe). Windows installers are not Authenticode
signed. See docs/windows-signing-and-supply-chain.md.

Desktop Translator v0.5.0 — Selection examples

Selection translations now keep the containing sentence as a study example, and Chinese-to-English wordbook entries use English as the Related Words anchor.

What's new

• Native selections capture the containing sentence when Accessibility exposes enough local text to identify it unambiguously.
• Eligible wordbook entries persist that optional example and refresh it only when a later lookup supplies a new valid sentence. Context is never invented.
• New Chinese-to-English vocabulary is stored as English source and Chinese translation, so Related Words stays English-led.
• Related Words shows the saved sentence as its subtitle when one exists, keeps concise fallback copy otherwise, and no longer shows textbook provenance details.
• Quick typed translation is unchanged and still has no sentence context.

Install

Download the .dmg and drag the app to Applications. The build is
universal: it runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

These builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so
macOS Gatekeeper will refuse the first launch. To allow it, run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Desktop Translator.app"

On first run, grant Accessibility permission when prompted, then
choose Google, Baidu, or Microsoft Translator in Settings and add
that provider's credentials. Vocabulary Study includes an offline
English to Simplified Chinese starter textbook.

The app is ad-hoc signed, so its code identity changes with every
release. After installing an update, macOS drops the old grant:
remove the stale entry in Privacy & Security → Accessibility and
add the new one.

Platform support

macOS (universal .dmg / .app) and Windows 10/11 x64 (NSIS
*_x64-setup.exe). Windows installers are not Authenticode
signed. See docs/windows-signing-and-supply-chain.md.

Desktop Translator v0.4.1

Install

Download the .dmg and drag the app to Applications. The build is
universal: it runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

These builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so
macOS Gatekeeper will refuse the first launch. To allow it, run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Desktop Translator.app"

On first run, grant Accessibility permission when prompted, then
choose Google, Baidu, or Microsoft Translator in Settings and add
that provider's credentials. Vocabulary Study includes an offline
English to Simplified Chinese starter textbook.

The app is ad-hoc signed, so its code identity changes with every
release. After installing an update, macOS drops the old grant:
remove the stale entry in Privacy & Security → Accessibility and
add the new one.

Platform support

macOS (universal .dmg / .app) and Windows 10/11 x64 (NSIS
*_x64-setup.exe). Windows installers are not Authenticode
signed. See docs/windows-signing-and-supply-chain.md.

Desktop Translator v0.3.0

Install

Download the .dmg and drag the app to Applications. The build is
universal: it runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

These builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so
macOS Gatekeeper will refuse the first launch. To allow it, run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Desktop Translator.app"

On first run, grant Accessibility permission when prompted, then
choose Google, Baidu, or Microsoft Translator in Settings and add
that provider's credentials. Vocabulary Study includes an offline
English to Simplified Chinese starter textbook.

The app is ad-hoc signed, so its code identity changes with every
release. After installing an update, macOS drops the old grant:
remove the stale entry in Privacy & Security → Accessibility and
add the new one.

Platform support

macOS only. The Windows adapters are written but have not been
qualified on a Windows host and are not distributed yet.

Desktop Translator v0.2.0 — Vocabulary Study

What's new

Vocabulary Study turns the words and short phrases you translate into a private learning loop:

• an on-device SQLite wordbook with lookup demand, recall scoring, source-language correction, deletion, and pronunciation for both sides
• local-first translation lookup: personal wordbook → active downloaded textbook → Google Cloud Translation API
• five downloadable English → Simplified Chinese textbooks for general, everyday, academic, TOEIC, and business vocabulary
• related-word discovery across personal and downloaded vocabulary, with root/meaning relationships, source badges, and one-click addition
• optional provenance-backed part-of-speech badges on word cards, textbook entries, related words, and practice choices
• bidirectional practice with random or fixed direction, related/textbook distractors, and mastery-aware scheduling
• a redesigned Vocabulary Study window with stable card layouts, focused scrolling, compact practice feedback, and reactive refresh

The README now includes current screenshots and a complete feature guide.

Install

Download the universal .dmg and drag the app into Applications. It runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

These builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so macOS Gatekeeper will refuse the first launch. Allow it with:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Desktop Translator.app"

On first run, grant Accessibility permission and add your Google Cloud Translation API key in Settings.

Important

The app is ad-hoc signed, so an update changes its code identity. After installing v0.2.0, remove the stale Desktop Translator entry under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, add the new app, then relaunch it.

Platform support

macOS 11+ is supported. Windows remains implemented but unqualified and is not distributed in this release.

Desktop Translator v0.1.1

What's new

• Fix the translate button click and popup routing on secondary macOS displays.
• Keep button and popup placement correct across mixed Retina and 1x monitor layouts.
• Capture the exact selection-release position before Accessibility retry delays.
• Add a macOS mixed-scale regression fixture based on the verified two-display setup.

Install

Download the .dmg and drag the app to Applications. The build is universal: it runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

These builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so macOS Gatekeeper will refuse the first launch. To allow it, run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Desktop Translator.app"

On first run, grant Accessibility permission when prompted, then add your own Google Cloud Translation API key in Settings.

The app is ad-hoc signed, so its code identity changes with every release. After installing an update, macOS drops the old grant: remove the stale entry in Privacy & Security → Accessibility and add the new one.

Platform support

macOS only. The Windows adapters are written but have not been qualified on a Windows host and are not distributed yet.

Desktop Translator v0.1.0

Install

Download the .dmg and drag the app to Applications. The build is
universal: it runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

These builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so
macOS Gatekeeper will refuse the first launch. To allow it, run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Desktop Translator.app"

On first run, grant Accessibility permission when prompted, then
add your own Google Cloud Translation API key in Settings.

Platform support

macOS only. The Windows adapters are written but have not been
qualified on a Windows host and are not distributed yet.