LiveTranslate

A macOS menu bar app for real-time speech-to-text transcription and translation.

Features

• Real-time speech transcription using Apple Speech framework (on-device processing)
• Real-time translation via Apple Translation API
• Dual audio input: microphone or running applications
• Floating overlay window with synchronized source and translated text
• Multi-speaker detection with color-coded speaker identification
• Audio waveform visualization
• Support for Korean, English, Indonesian, and Japanese languages
• App Sandbox enabled with minimal permissions

Requirements

• macOS 26.0 or later
• Apple Silicon Mac (M1 and later)
• Xcode 15 or later
• Microphone access and speech recognition permissions

Build

From the command line:

xcodebuild build -project LiveTranslate.xcodeproj -scheme LiveTranslate

Or in Xcode:

• Open LiveTranslate.xcodeproj
• Press Cmd+B to build
• Press Cmd+R to run

No external dependencies are required. The app uses only native Apple frameworks.

Usage

After launching, a menu bar icon appears. Click it to access:

• Audio Source: Select microphone or any running application for audio capture
• Languages: Choose source language and target translation language
• Listen Toggle: Start or stop transcription

The floating overlay window displays:

• Left panel: Live transcription in the source language
• Right panel: Live translation in the target language

Each speaker is assigned a unique color based on pitch analysis. You can toggle between horizontal and vertical panel layouts.

Permissions

The app requires the following permissions at runtime:

• Microphone: To capture audio from your microphone or running applications
• Speech Recognition: To transcribe audio on-device

License

MIT