Translation often touches customer messages, unreleased documents, contracts, medical information, source code, and personal conversations. The right privacy question is not only whether an app offers a local model, but which mode is active for the specific request.
TranslateWindow supports local processing for text that should remain on the Mac, alongside cloud services and bring-your-own-key models for cases where coverage or output quality has priority.
Local, cloud, and BYOK are different boundaries
Using your own API key does not make a cloud model local. It changes the account and billing relationship, but the request is still processed under that provider’s infrastructure and privacy policy.
| Mode | Where processing happens | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Local model | On your Mac | Private drafts, internal material, offline work |
| Built-in cloud service | Selected service infrastructure | Convenience and wider language coverage |
| Your API key | Provider tied to your key | Direct model access and account-level control |
What TranslateWindow excludes from analytics
- Source text and translated text.
- OCR output, selected text, and clipboard contents.
- Screenshots and captured screen regions.
- License keys, API keys, and customer email addresses.
A practical privacy decision
Start by classifying the content. If disclosure would create risk, use the local model and avoid capturing more of the screen than required. If the content is public and a particular cloud model produces better terminology or tone, that provider may be an intentional choice.
For a repeated workflow, create a translation scene with the appropriate model and instructions. This reduces the chance of switching to a cloud service by habit when local processing was the actual requirement.
What offline translation cannot promise
A local model can keep translation content on the device, but it does not secure an already compromised Mac, erase copied text from other applications, or make every third-party integration offline. System permissions and device security still matter.
Read the current privacy policy before using any product for regulated or highly sensitive material, and verify the active service inside the app rather than relying on a general feature list.
Choose the boundary for each translation
Use TranslateWindow’s local model for sensitive content and switch deliberately when a cloud service is the better tool.