Frequently Asked Questions

Screen Translator is a lightweight desktop application that automatically detects and translates text from your screen in real time. It uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to capture on-screen text, which is then sent to translation services like Google Translate or DeepL. The translated text is displayed as an overlay on your screen, allowing you to read subtitles, game dialogues, or app interfaces in your preferred language without needing to switch windows or copy-paste anything manually.

Yes, an internet connection is required for translation services to function, as the text is sent to external APIs such as Google Translate or DeepL. However, the OCR detection and screen capture features work locally on your device. In the future, we plan to include support for offline translation engines, so you can use the tool even without an internet connection.

No, your privacy is a top priority. Screen Translator does not store, log, or share any of your on-screen content. The text captured through OCR is used only temporarily for the purpose of translation and is not saved or transmitted beyond the translation request. All processing happens on your device, except for the translation which goes securely through your selected translation provider.

Yes, Screen Translator is designed to work in fullscreen modes, including games and video players. It can capture subtitles, dialogue, or interface text even while you're playing a game or watching a movie. However, depending on the game’s graphics and anti-cheat mechanisms, some features may be limited. We recommend running the tool in compatibility mode for certain fullscreen applications for the best results.

Screen Translator supports over 100 languages for translation, including widely used ones like English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and Turkish. The list of supported languages depends on the translation service you're using (Google, DeepL, etc.). You can select the source and target languages from the settings panel within the app interface.

The core functionality of Screen Translator is completely free to use. You can perform real-time screen translations without any payment. However, for those who want more advanced features like custom hotkeys, integration with premium translation APIs (like DeepL Pro), or additional UI customization, a Pro version is available. This helps support the development and maintenance of the project.

Yes, you can fully customize where the translated text appears on your screen. In the settings, you’ll find options to move the overlay to any corner or position it manually using your mouse. You can also adjust the font size, background opacity, and text color to match your preferences and ensure the translated text is visible but not intrusive.

Yes, Screen Translator can detect and translate on-screen subtitles from platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming services. It captures the visible subtitle text using OCR and then displays the translated version as an overlay. Just make sure your subtitles are turned on and clearly visible on the screen for best results.

Screen Translator is optimized to use minimal system resources. It runs efficiently in the background and should not cause any noticeable performance drops, even during gaming or streaming. However, if you’re using a lower-end system, you can adjust performance settings in the app to reduce CPU usage, such as lowering OCR frequency or disabling advanced visual effects.

Absolutely. You can assign a global hotkey that allows you to toggle the translation feature on or off instantly. This is especially useful when you only want to translate certain parts of your screen or pause the translation while focusing on other tasks. The hotkey can be configured in the application’s settings panel.

The translation accuracy depends largely on the OCR quality and the translation engine you choose. With high-resolution screens and clear fonts, the OCR can detect text with very high accuracy. When paired with trusted services like Google Translate or DeepL, the translated output is generally reliable for everyday use. However, like all machine translation, it might occasionally struggle with slang, idioms, or complex grammar.

Yes, Screen Translator supports multi-monitor setups. You can select which screen to monitor for text detection or even have it work across all your monitors simultaneously. Whether you're gaming on one screen and reading on another, or using dual displays for productivity, the app adapts to your setup without issue.

Yes, Screen Translator lets you define a custom capture region. You can either choose the full screen, a specific window, or manually draw a rectangle on your screen to focus translation on a certain area. This gives you full control over which part of your display is being analyzed.

Yes, it comes with a built-in dark mode for both the application interface and the overlay. You can toggle this in the settings. The dark theme helps reduce eye strain and blends well with games or apps that use darker visuals.

Absolutely. You can choose from multiple OCR engines depending on your needs. While the default is optimized for speed and accuracy, power users can switch to alternative engines like Tesseract for specific languages or use-cases. You’ll find these options in the advanced settings.

Yes, Screen Translator supports a wide variety of scripts including Cyrillic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and more. Make sure to select the appropriate OCR language for better recognition accuracy in non-Latin texts.

You can enable the option to start Screen Translator automatically when your computer boots. This is useful if you frequently use it for games, streaming, or work. You’ll find the auto-start toggle in the general settings menu.

Yes, there’s an optional logging feature that saves translated text to a local file in real-time. This is useful if you want to keep track of subtitles, game dialogs, or study material. You can turn this on in the settings and choose where the logs are saved.

Yes, you can control the OCR scan frequency in the performance settings. Whether you want high-speed updates for fast subtitles or slower intervals to save resources, the scan rate is fully adjustable to suit your needs.

Definitely. You can fine-tune the opacity of the translation overlay so it blends naturally with your content. Whether you want it bold and readable or subtle and non-intrusive, the level of transparency is up to you.

Yes. In addition to the global hotkey toggle, there's a "Pause OCR" feature inside the app interface. It lets you temporarily stop text scanning while keeping the app running in the background.

Yes, Screen Translator supports multiple configuration profiles. You can create separate setups for gaming, studying, or work—each with their own OCR regions, languages, hotkeys, and overlay preferences.

Absolutely. Besides on-screen OCR, you can enable clipboard translation mode. When you copy any text, the app can instantly translate it and display the result—perfect for quick lookups while reading or browsing.

Currently, Screen Translator is available for Windows, but we are actively working on bringing support to macOS and Linux. Sign up on our website to get notified when other platforms become available.

Yes, you can draw and define a custom region of your screen where Screen Translator will focus its OCR detection. This is useful if you only want to translate a specific area, like subtitles or chat windows, while ignoring the rest.

Yes, Screen Translator fully supports right-to-left (RTL) languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian. The overlay will automatically adjust its layout and text direction to properly display these languages.

Yes. The application allows you to choose from a variety of system fonts, or even load a custom font file for the overlay. This helps personalize the look and feel of the translated text on your screen.

Absolutely. The app includes accessibility options such as keyboard navigation, screen reader support, and high-contrast mode to help visually impaired users or those who prefer non-mouse control.

Yes, with the scheduling feature, you can set specific times during the day when translation should automatically turn on or off. This is helpful for study sessions, meetings, or regular gaming hours.

Yes. You can enable a logging feature that saves the translated text to a local file. This log can be reviewed later, making it great for language learners or users who want to revisit previously translated content.

Yes, you can manually select the source language for OCR. This improves detection accuracy, especially for non-Latin scripts or stylized fonts. Automatic detection is also available, but setting it manually often yields better results.

Currently, Screen Translator is focused on visual text translation using OCR. However, voice/audio translation features are under consideration for future versions, which would allow you to translate spoken language from videos or conversations.

Yes. The app includes a pause/resume feature for OCR detection, letting you temporarily stop scanning the screen. This is useful when you want to reduce resource usage or when translation is not needed momentarily.

Yes, the overlay supports both light and dark modes. You can choose the theme from the settings to better match your environment or reduce eye strain, especially when using the tool at night.

Absolutely. You can drag the edges of the overlay box to resize it manually or select predefined size options from the settings. This gives you more control over how much screen space the translation takes up.

Yes, Screen Translator can detect and translate text from cloud gaming platforms or remote desktop sessions, as long as the screen content is visible and not rendered as protected video. Performance may vary based on the quality of the stream.