Shortcuts and triggers
Keyboard shortcuts and mouse actions can trigger webpage, selection, and hover translation directly.
| Action | Default |
|---|---|
| Translate a paragraph | Hover over it and press Control |
| Translate page / restore original | Alt + T; Alt is usually labeled Option on a Mac |
| Capture an area | Press Shift+Z (configurable), then drag |
| Copy the paragraph under the mouse | Point at it and press Alt+C (Option+C on a Mac) |
| Translate one section of a page | Click Section in the extension menu, or turn on the Alt+R shortcut (Option+R on a Mac) |
| Translate a selection | Enable selection translation, select text, and click the nearby icon |
Change a trigger
Open hover, selection, or the relevant feature settings in FluentRead. Choose a trigger or use its custom-shortcut field.
The area shortcut lives in area translation settings, where you can pick a preset or record your own combination. See area translation.
Paragraph copy lives in Settings → Translation → Paragraph copy, where you can change the shortcut and choose what lands on the clipboard:
- Match what is shown (default): a translated paragraph is copied the way it is displayed, and untranslated text is copied as the original.
- Original text: always copies the page text.
- Translation: always copies the translation, and falls back to the original text with a notice when the paragraph is not translated yet.
- Original and translation: copies both blocks, ordered by your translated-text position setting.
A notice tells you what was copied and how many characters. The shortcut stays inactive in input fields and editable areas, and Ctrl+C keeps copying the selected text.
The section translation shortcut is off by default. Turn it on in Settings → Translation → Section translation, where you can pick a preset or record your own combination. While picking, press ↑/↓ to change the section and Esc or the shortcut again to exit. See section translation.
Selection translation can show an icon or a small dot, open directly, wait for a key, or use Context menu only. The context-menu-only mode shows no selection icon or dot and claims no selection shortcut. Select text, then choose Translate selected text in the context menu. Keep both the context menu and its selection entry enabled in Settings → Context menu. The reading card controls its own selection hint.
The browser’s extension shortcut page controls the extension commands listed by the browser. Paragraph and selection triggers are configured inside FluentRead.
A shortcut does nothing
Check that translation works through the menu first. Avoid keys already used by the browser, input method, or website. Some shortcuts intentionally do not run in input fields.
Custom combinations match the character your keyboard layout produced when you recorded them, including Dvorak or AZERTY layouts. When Option on a Mac turns a key into a special symbol, the physical key is matched instead.
Try a regular webpage; browser internal pages and extension stores generally cannot be translated.