Bring Your Own API Key for AI Translation on Mac
Connect your own DeepSeek API key or OpenAI-compatible endpoint directly to your Mac. Pay official provider rates with zero markup, retain full control over reasoning models, and keep keys locked in private local files.
Why Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)?
Most commercial translation apps charge recurring $10–$25 monthly subscriptions for fixed translation quotas, routing your text through their proprietary servers. With iTrans (MacTranslate AI), you connect your personal API key directly from providers like DeepSeek.
You pay pennies directly to the model provider based strictly on actual token consumption, with zero markup, zero subscription lock-in, and zero intermediaries handling your text.
- DeepSeek-V3 (deepseek-chat): Ultra-fast general translation with high semantic fluency, ideal for daily reading and document translation.
- DeepSeek-R1 (deepseek-reasoner): Deep reasoning model with an independent foldable thought process (Reasoning Content) that dissects nuanced grammar and idioms.
- Custom Base URLs: Connect any OpenAI-compatible proxy, local Ollama instance, or self-hosted LLM gateway.
How to Configure Your API Key
Obtain Your DeepSeek Key
Log in to your account at platform.deepseek.com, navigate to API Keys, and create a new secret key.
Open iTrans Settings
Right-click the iTrans menu bar icon and select Settings (or press ⌘, from the main translation HUD). Navigate to the DeepSeek API tab.
Paste & Inspect Connectivity
Paste your key and click Test Connection. iTrans verifies endpoints in real-time, displays verified model counts and latency metrics, and saves the verified status persistently.
Security & Private Local Storage
0600 permissions at ~/Library/Application Support/cduyzhTranslator/deepseek-api-key. We deliberately do not use the system Keychain to avoid disruptive authorization password prompts when application binaries update.
Translation requests leave your Mac only to the provider endpoint you explicitly configured. There are no tracking SDKs, no behavioral telemetry, and no centralized proxy servers.
Token Economics & Usage Insights
Press ⌥S at any time to open the built-in Usage Statistics inspector. iTrans tracks daily translation requests, average round-trip latency, token expenditures, and gives you transparent cost visibility.
Start translating with your own AI key
Download iTrans for macOS 14+ and configure your DeepSeek API key in under 60 seconds.