Circo first uses Windows to read the words inside your selection. It then sends the extracted text—not the screenshot—to MyMemory / Translated and shows the translation.
Four steps
Translate visible words.
- Put the text on screen and pause any moving video.
- Press Alt + C.
- Draw a box around the words.
- Choose Translate and select your preferred language.
Clear boundary
Your screenshot stays off the translation service.
OCR happens locally through Windows. Circo breaks the extracted text into requests of up to 450 characters and sends those words to MyMemory / Translated. The image itself is not sent to that provider.
Translation still shares the selected words with an online service. Avoid passwords, private messages, health details, financial information, and confidential work.
When it helps
Translate text you cannot select.
- Subtitles in a paused video or livestream.
- Menus and instructions inside a game.
- Labels, signs, or packaging in a photo.
- Text inside a graphic, presentation, or scanned document.
- Messages inside a remote app where normal copy is unavailable.
Read with care
Two systems shape the answer.
First, OCR has to read the original text correctly. Then the translation service has to understand its meaning. Small type, decorative fonts, slang, names, and missing context can reduce accuracy. Check important or sensitive translations with a fluent speaker or trusted source.
Current scope
Text translation, not live captions.
Circo translates a selection you make. It does not continuously watch the screen, translate an entire video in real time, listen to microphone audio, or identify songs. Audio recognition is not available in the current release.