In short
Select the text, press Alt+1 and name the target language, for example “Translate into Spanish”. Zack KI returns the translation as a text block. Click “Insert” to replace your original in a field you can edit, or copy it. There is no translate button out of the box, but you can turn a chip into one.
- How
- Select text, press Alt+1, name the target language
- Result
- A text block with “Insert” and a copy icon
- Translates
- Only when you ask for it
- System
- Windows 10 and Windows 11
Step by step
- Select the text, for example a paragraph in French from a supplier’s email.
- Press Alt+1. The selection appears as a card in the input area.
- Type the request with the target language, for example “Translate into English” or “Translate into German, formal”.
- Press Enter. The translation appears as a text block.
- Click the copy icon, or click “Insert” if the original sits in a field you can edit and should be replaced.
What happens to the original text?
“Insert” puts the translation into the app you used last: in place of the text that is still selected there, or at the cursor. That suits your own drafts, such as an email you wrote in German and want to send in English. For text you cannot edit, such as a web page, copy the translation instead.
A translation counts as text for reuse, so your answer length setting does not shorten it. A long paragraph comes back complete.
Does Zack KI translate when I don’t ask for it?
No. Corrections and rewrites stay in the language of the source text, even if you write your request in another language. “Improve” on a German text gives you better German, not English. Zack KI translates only when you ask for a translation or name a target language.
One exception to keep in mind: “Summarize” and “Explain” answer in the language of the Zack KI interface. “Explain” on a Spanish text with an English interface gives you an English explanation, not a translation.
Can I set up a translate button?
Zack KI has four chips, and you can rename them and rewrite their instructions. For translating, use the slot of “Improve” or “Fix errors”: these two replace the text, and the answer length does not limit them. “Summarize” and “Explain” do not suit, because they answer in your interface language and within the answer length.
Example: rename “Fix errors” to “To English” and set its instruction to “Translate the text into English. Keep names, numbers and formatting.” Alt+4 then translates a selection in place. In exchange you lose “Fix errors” until you reset the chip. If you translate only now and then, typing the request after Alt+1 is the better choice. See Custom AI actions.
Where are the limits?
The translation comes from an AI model and can miss a nuance or a technical term. Have contracts and other important texts checked by someone who knows both languages.
Text you cannot select, such as text in an image, can be translated from a screen area: press Alt+1 with nothing selected, mark the area and ask for the translation.
Related questions
Which languages can Zack KI translate?
The app has no fixed list; you name the target language in your request. The interface itself is in English or German. Check translations into less common languages more carefully.
Can I translate a PDF or Word file?
Yes. Select the file in Explorer, press Alt+1 and ask for a translation of the part you need. See Ask AI about files.
Will “Improve” ever switch the language?
No. “Improve” and “Fix errors” keep the language of your text unless you change their instructions.