# Translate > Platforms: Mac, Windows Translate text between dozens of languages directly from Raycast — paste, switch source and target, and copy results in seconds. > [!NOTE] > During the private beta, Translate is available to all early testers at no extra cost, regardless of platform. We may revisit how Translate is offered after the beta based on usage and feedback. The Translate command turns any block of text into another language without leaving Raycast. Open it, type or paste what you want to translate, and the result appears in real time. You can copy it, paste it directly into the app you came from, or send it to AI Chat for follow-up. Open Translate from Root Search by typing `Translate` and pressing `↵`. For faster access, assign an alias (like `tr`) or a hotkey from the Action Panel ( `K`). ## How It Works When Translate is open, the window splits into a source field on top and a translated field below. As you type, edit, or paste into the source field, the translation updates automatically. Word and character counts are shown for the source text. ## Source and Target Languages Each side has its own language picker. - The source language defaults to **Detect Language**, so Raycast figures out what you typed. The detected language is shown as a subtitle once it has been identified. - The target language is whatever you set last, or the default you picked in Settings. - To change either one, open the Action Panel and choose **Change Source Language** or **Change Target Language**. The pickers also support fuzzy search, so typing `jap` jumps to Japanese. - Use **Swap Languages** to flip source and target. The current translation moves up into the source field, ready to translate back the other way. ## Inline Translation You don't have to open the Translate command to translate a quick phrase. From Root Search, type your text followed by `in` or `into` and a language name, and the translation appears right in the results. Examples: - `hello in german` - `"good night" into french` The language name needs to be at least three characters and is matched fuzzily, so `jap`, `germ`, or `port` all work. Language codes (like `de` or `fr`) are intentionally **not** matched, to avoid triggering inline translation by accident. ## Action Panel Open the Action Panel with `K` to see everything you can do with the current translation: - **Copy Translation**: Copy the translated text to your clipboard. This is the default action when you press `↵`. - **Copy Source Text**: Copy the original text instead. - **Paste to Active App**: Paste the translation directly into the app you were just in. You can make this the default action in Settings. - **Swap Languages**: Flip source and target. - **Change Source Language** / **Change Target Language**: Pick a different language for either side. - **Continue in AI Chat**: Send both the source and the translation to AI Chat as context, so you can ask follow-up questions, request a more formal tone, or get an explanation of an idiom. ## Default Source and Target Languages If you usually translate between the same pair of languages, set them once and skip the picker every time. Open **`Raycast Settings → Translate`** and choose your default **Source Language** and **Target Language**. Leave the source on **Detect Language** if you'd rather have Raycast guess. ## Use Selected Text as Source When this setting is on, launching Translate from a hotkey automatically fills the source field with whatever text you currently have selected in the foreground app. Highlight a sentence in your browser or chat app, hit your Translate hotkey, and the translation appears immediately. Toggle it in **`Raycast Settings → Translate → Use Selected Text as Source`**. ## Custom Translate Commands Create your own translation commands with a fixed language pair, so you can jump straight into translating without picking languages first. For example, you might create **Translate to Spanish** or **English to Japanese**, give them their own aliases or hotkeys, and treat them like any other command in Root Search. 1. Open **`Raycast Settings → Translate → Custom Commands`** and click **Add Custom Command**. 2. Pick a name, a source language (or **Detect Language**), and a target language. 3. Edit, duplicate, disable, or delete custom commands from the same screen, and copy a deeplink to share or automate them. ## Keyboard Shortcuts - `↵`: Run the primary action (copy or paste, depending on Settings). - `↵`: Paste the translation into the active app. - `⇧` `↵`: Copy the source text. - `S`: Swap source and target languages. - `P`: Open the target language picker. - `⇧` `P`: Open the source language picker. - `K`: Open the Action Panel. - `Escape`: Clear the source field, or close the command if it's already empty. ## Related Settings All Translate settings live under **`Raycast Settings → Translate`**: - **Primary Action**: Choose whether `↵` copies the translation or pastes it into the active app. - **Default Source Language**: The language Translate starts from. Leave it on **Detect Language** to let Raycast guess. - **Default Target Language**: The language Translate translates into by default. - **Use Selected Text as Source**: Auto-fill the source field with the text you currently have selected when you launch Translate from a hotkey. - **Custom Commands**: Create, edit, and manage your own translation commands with fixed language pairs. --- ## Need Help? Contact Raycast Support if you have any questions or would like help with Translate. Use the **Send Feedback** command directly in Raycast to report bugs and billing issues, log feature requests, or any other queries you would like to speak to us about. You can view all Raycast Support contact options at https://manual.raycast.com/contact-support