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Instant Translate

Translate the selected text instantly within PopClip.
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Instant Translate

Translate the selected word or short phrase instantly within PopClip.

Instant Translate works without any setup, using a free service with a daily limit. To translate without that limit, add your own DeepL API key. The free DeepL plan allows 500,000 characters per month.

Setting up a DeepL API key (optional)

  1. Go to the DeepL API plans page and sign up for DeepL API Free. DeepL asks for a credit card to verify your identity, but the free plan is not charged.
  2. Once signed in, open the API Keys tab of your account and copy your key. Free keys end in :fx.
  3. In PopClip's settings, click the Instant Translate extension's settings button, and paste the key into DeepL API Key.

DeepL API Pro keys work too.

Privacy

Without a DeepL key, the selected text is sent to Pilotmoon's server, which passes it to Microsoft Translator. Pilotmoon doesn't log or store the text. With a DeepL key, the text goes directly to DeepL.

Changelog

  • 11 Nov 2026: Works again without an API key, using a free Pilotmoon service (powered by Microsoft Translator) with a daily limit. A DeepL API key is now optional and removes the limit. The language list now covers the 89 languages both services support.
  • 9 Nov 2026: Switched from Microsoft Translator to DeepL, using your own DeepL API key entered in the extension's settings. The previous shared Microsoft key has been withdrawn. Converted to the modern Config.ts format, with clearer error messages.
  • 20 Apr 2022: Increased the language list to the latest supported languages.
  • 20 Apr 2022: Rewrote the extension in JavaScript and moved to version 3 of the Translator API (it was using version 2). Response times are faster because the key is now used directly, instead of first being exchanged for an access token.
  • 20 Apr 2022: Updated for Python 3, thanks to harrtho.
  • 30 Apr 2021: Stopped working because of an SSL error that couldn't be fixed quickly, so the extension was removed from the index.
  • 22 Apr 2015: Updated to use credentials issued by a server.
  • 21 Apr 2015: chenggiant modified the original to use the official Microsoft Translator API. Further modifications by Nick Moore.
  • The original Instant Translate (a.k.a. Better Translate) was developed by harmy. Around March/April 2015 Google changed their back end, which broke it. The original relied on undocumented Google endpoints rather than the paid API.
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