FAQ

General

What is Doco Translate?

Doco Translate is a native macOS application for translating PDF documents. It supports local PDFs and online PDF links, with features like layout preservation, bilingual reading, reflow mode, OCR for scanned documents, glossaries, and multiple export formats.

Is Doco Translate free?

Doco Translate is available on the Mac App Store. Some features may require a Pro subscription. Basic translation services (Google, Microsoft, Yandex) are free to use. AI services require your own API key from the respective provider.

What are the system requirements?

Doco Translate requires macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later.

What file formats does Doco Translate support?

Doco Translate focuses exclusively on PDF translation. You can open local PDF files or translate PDF files from valid online URLs. Other document formats (Word, PowerPoint, etc.) are not supported.

Does Doco Translate work offline?

Doco Translate itself requires an internet connection for cloud-based translation services. However, if you configure a local LLM service (Ollama or LM Studio), you can translate documents entirely offline after downloading the models.

Translation

How do I translate a scanned PDF?

Open the scanned PDF in Doco Translate.
The app will detect that it's a scanned document.
A prompt will appear asking you to specify the source language.
Select the correct source language for better OCR accuracy.
The app will OCR the pages and then translate the extracted text.

Why is the OCR quality poor?

OCR quality depends on several factors:

Source language: Specifying the correct source language significantly improves accuracy.
Document quality: Low-resolution scans or skewed pages produce worse results.
Font type: Decorative or handwritten fonts are harder to recognize.

Can I translate images within a PDF?

Yes. Enable Translate Images in the translation settings. Doco Translate will OCR text in images (pictures and tables) and translate it using your selected service. Image translation requires an AI/LLM service that supports multimodal input.

Why did a page fail to translate?

Common reasons for translation failures:

Network issues: Check your internet connection.
API key issues: Verify your API key is valid and has not expired.
Rate limits: You may have exceeded the provider's rate limit. Wait a moment and retry.
Service outage: The translation provider may be temporarily unavailable.

You can click Retry on the failed page or switch to a different translation service.

Can I use different services for different pages?

Yes. You can re-translate individual paragraphs or pages with a different service. Select the paragraph, then use the service selector in the toolbar to choose an alternative service.

How do glossaries work?

Glossaries define preferred translations for specific terms. When a glossary is enabled, Doco Translate replaces matching source terms before sending text to the translation service. This ensures consistent terminology across your document.

Services

Do I need an API key?

Basic services (Google, Microsoft, Yandex): No API key required.
AI services (Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, etc.): Yes, you need your own API key.
Local services (Ollama, LM Studio): No API key required.

How do I get an API key?

Each AI service has its own process for generating API keys. In Doco Translate, go to Settings → Services, select the service, and click the Apply for API Key link. This opens the provider's website where you can create an account and generate a key.

Can I add a custom translation service?

Yes. Click Custom Service in Settings → Services. You can add services compatible with:

OpenAI API format — /v1/chat/completions
Anthropic API format — /v1/messages
Gemini API format — /v1beta/models
Ollama format — /api/chat
LM Studio format — /api/v1/chat

This is useful for private deployments, proxy endpoints, or model providers not included in the default list.

Can I change the API endpoint for a built-in service?

Yes. In the service settings, you can modify the API Host, API Path, Request Body, and Request Headers. This is useful for using API proxies, regional endpoints, or self-hosted instances.

Export

What export formats are available?

Doco Translate can export translated content as:

PDF — Preserves layout with translated text
Picture (JPEG) — All pages combined into a single image
Plain Text — Simple text file with paragraphs
Markdown — Structured text with images in a folder

Can I export bilingual content?

Yes. When exporting, choose Bilingual as the target. This includes both the original and translated content in the output.

Where are exported files saved?

You choose the save location when exporting. The app opens a standard macOS save dialog where you can select any folder.

Privacy

Is my data safe?

Doco Translate is designed as a local macOS app:

Documents and translation records are stored on your device.
Settings, service configuration, and glossaries are stored locally.
Doco Translate does not collect personal information or usage analytics.

Is my text sent to external servers?

When you use a cloud translation service (Google, Microsoft, AI services, etc.), the text content required for translation is sent to that provider. If you use local services (Ollama, LM Studio), no data leaves your machine.

How do I maximize privacy?

For the most private workflow:

Use Ollama or LM Studio as your translation service.
Keep all settings at their defaults (local storage).
Avoid using cloud-based services.

Always review the privacy policy and practices of any third-party translation service you connect.

Troubleshooting

The app is slow or unresponsive

If using a local LLM service, try a smaller model or reduce the Max Concurrent Pages setting.
If using a cloud service, check your network connection.
Restart the app if it becomes unresponsive.

The translation quality is poor

Try a different translation service. AI services generally produce better results than basic services.
Use a larger/more capable model (e.g., switch from a flash/mini model to a pro model).
Set the source language explicitly instead of using Auto Detect.
Create a glossary for domain-specific terms.

I can't open a PDF

Ensure the file is a valid PDF document.
If opening from a URL, verify the URL points directly to a PDF file.
Check that the file is not corrupted or password-protected.

Changes to settings aren't taking effect

Some settings (like interface language) require restarting the app.
Translation service changes take effect on the next translation action.
Click Reload to re-parse and re-translate a document with new settings.

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