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himomohi/airtranslate

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

197SwiftAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · easy

TLDR

A macOS app that captures your Mac's system audio and shows live translated captions in a floating always-on-top window, with no microphone or account required.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((AirTranslate))
    What it does
      Captures system audio
      Live captions
      Real-time translation
    Modes
      Apple frameworks offline
      Optional OpenAI API key
    Features
      Floating always-on-top window
      Keychain-stored API key
      Saved transcripts
    Use cases
      Foreign videos
      Online meetings
      Livestreams
    Audience
      macOS users
      Language learners

Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Watch a foreign-language video with live translated captions floating over the player

USE CASE 2

Follow an online meeting or lecture in a language you are still learning

USE CASE 3

Caption a livestream that has no built-in subtitles

USE CASE 4

Use a personal OpenAI API key for higher-accuracy transcription on difficult audio

What is it built with?

Swift

How does it compare?

himomohi/airtranslatednakov/kittyfarmlcharvol/macsift
Stars197180240
LanguageSwiftSwiftSwift
Setup difficultyeasymoderateeasy
Complexity2/53/52/5
Audiencegeneraldevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Works offline with Apple's built-in speech frameworks by default, an OpenAI API key is optional.

In plain English

AirTranslate is a macOS application that captures audio playing on your Mac and shows it as live captions with real-time translation in a floating window that stays on top of whatever you are watching. The problem it solves is that many meetings, lectures, videos, and streams do not have subtitles, and routing audio through a microphone to get transcription is slow and lossy compared to capturing the digital audio directly. The app intercepts your Mac's system audio output, transcribes it in real time, and translates it into your chosen language simultaneously. By default it uses Apple's built-in speech recognition and translation frameworks, so no internet connection or account is required for basic use. An optional mode lets you provide your own OpenAI API key to use a more capable AI transcription and translation model for difficult audio or uncommon language pairs. Your API key is stored securely in the macOS Keychain and never leaves your device through the app. You would use this when watching a foreign-language video, attending an online meeting in a language you are still learning, or following a livestream with no captions. A floating caption window keeps translations visible while you focus on other apps. The app saves transcripts as plain text files you can edit or delete. It is a free, open-source download for macOS built with Swift.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Explain how AirTranslate captures system audio on macOS without using the microphone.
Prompt 2
Help me set up AirTranslate with my own OpenAI API key for better translation accuracy.
Prompt 3
Show me how AirTranslate keeps my API key secure in the macOS Keychain.
Prompt 4
Walk me through saving and editing a transcript from an AirTranslate session.

Frequently asked questions

What is airtranslate?

A macOS app that captures your Mac's system audio and shows live translated captions in a floating always-on-top window, with no microphone or account required.

What language is airtranslate written in?

Mainly Swift. The stack also includes Swift.

How hard is airtranslate to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is airtranslate for?

Mainly general.

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