I translate with 1 keyword in my launcher. I copy a text, open Launchee with ⌘Space, type en2de and press ↩. The German translation replaces the clipboard, and a notice shows its first line. I paste it where I need it.
The translation comes from the DeepL API, which I have used for years (see Translatee). In 2024 I had 1 Alfred keyword per Python script. Now it's 1 pack file in Launchee and 1 shared script, built with Claude Code on 7th November 2026. For the launcher itself, see Launchee: my own keyboard launcher for macOS.
The keywords
The keyword is <from>2<to>. German and French targets come in the formal form by default, because most of what I translate is for work. To get the informal form, add the pronoun: -du for German, -tu for French.
| Keyword | Translates |
|---|---|
en2de |
English to German, with "Sie" |
en2de-du |
English to German, with "du" |
en2fr |
English to French, with "vous" |
en2fr-tu |
English to French, with "tu" |
fr2de |
French to German, with "Sie" |
fr2de-du |
French to German, with "du" |
de2fr |
German to French, with "vous" |
de2fr-tu |
German to French, with "tu" |
fr2en |
French to English (British) |
de2en |
German to English (British) |
Typing en2de shows both German rows, so I pick the form with the arrow keys and never have to remember the suffix.
The same sentence, with both forms:
| Keyword | Result |
|---|---|
en2de |
Guten Morgen, könnten Sie mir den Bericht bitte bis Freitag zukommen lassen? |
en2de-du |
Guten Morgen, könntest du mir den Bericht bis Freitag schicken? |
DeepL doesn't just swap the pronoun. The formal version also gets "bitte" and the more polite "zukommen lassen".
Text after the keyword wins over the clipboard: en2fr-tu see you tomorrow translates the typed words.
Why a suffix for the formality
I had 3 options for formal and informal:
| Option | For | Against |
|---|---|---|
A suffix keyword (the pick): en2de-du |
Both rows show, nothing to recall | 2 keywords per German or French target |
A word after the keyword: en2de du |
1 keyword | Clashes with typed text: is "du" the text? |
↩ formal, ⌘↩ informal |
1 row | Hidden: nothing on screen says which key is which |
The suffix is the only one I can see in the bar.
How it works
The pack. ~/.launchee/commands/translate.jsonc holds the 10 commands. Each one runs the script with the clipboard on standard input and copies the output to the clipboard:
{"id": "deepl-en2de-du", "title": "Translate English to German (du)", "keyword": "en2de-du", "arg": "optional",
"stdin": "clipboard", "output": "copy", "timeout": 25,
"run": ["~/ai/_shared/deepl.py", "--from", "en", "--to", "de", "--formality", "informal", "{query}"]}
The script. ~/ai/_shared/deepl.py is standard-library Python, so any NicAI agent can use it too:
pbpaste | python3 ~/ai/_shared/deepl.py --from en --to de --formality informal
python3 ~/ai/_shared/deepl.py --to fr --formality formal "Could you send me the report?"
- Formality.
formalsends DeepLprefer_more,informalsendsprefer_less. Theprefer_values never fail: for a language without formal and informal forms, DeepL ignores them. DeepL supports formality for German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese and Russian. - English and Portuguese. DeepL needs a variant for these targets. The script sends
EN-GBandPT-PT. - The key. It reads
DEEPL_API_KEYfrom my shared.env. A key that ends in:fxis a free key, and the script then callsapi-free.deepl.cominstead ofapi.deepl.com. - Errors. An empty clipboard, a refused key (403) or a used-up monthly quota (456) ends in a Launchee notice with the reason. The clipboard keeps the original text.
The runner. Launchee runs the script in a child process with a 25 s deadline, as every command, so a slow DeepL answer never blocks the bar.
Adding a language
The pack is generated: 3 languages give 6 pairs, and German and French targets get 2 rows each. A 4th language, such as Spanish with -tu, means 1 more line in the generator and 1 more run. The script needs no change.
Further reading
The API reference for the translate call, with the formality values:
Which languages support formality:
The plans, including the free API:
- Launchee: my own keyboard launcher for macOS: the launcher.
- Translatee: my DeepL scripts from 2024, glossaries included.