DeepL is genuinely good at translation. That's not the problem. The problem is the workflow around it: select your text, copy it, switch to a browser tab, paste it into DeepL, copy the result, switch back, paste it over the original. Every single time, for every sentence.
KeyShift skips the trip. The translation happens in the field you're already typing in, without a browser tab ever opening.
Same idea, no round trip
DeepL's website is a destination. You have to go to it. KeyShift works the other way around: it reaches whatever you're already writing in, so there's no "going" anywhere.
Two ways to use it, depending on whether the text already exists or you're writing it now:
Text already written? Select it, press Ctrl+Shift+A, pick Translate, and it's replaced in place.
Writing it fresh? Type normally, then right after it, type keyshift translate to and the language you want, then press space twice:
merci pour votre patience keyshift translate to english
Double space, and it becomes "thank you for your patience," in the same field, no tab switch involved.
Live Translate: for when every message needs it
If you're messaging someone in a language you don't speak well, turning on Live Translate for that language means every double space translates what you just typed, automatically, for as long as you leave it on. Useful for an ongoing conversation, a support queue in a second market, or just messaging someone abroad without switching your input language every time.
Any language you can name
DeepL supports a fixed list of languages, chosen from a menu. KeyShift's typed instruction takes whatever you write: "translate to formal German," "translate to Brazilian Portuguese," "translate this into Turkish and keep it casual." If you can describe it, it understands it.
Worth knowing if you translate a lot
If you already have an OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or OpenRouter account, KeyShift can run on your own key instead of monthly credits, at no extra cost per translation. See the BYOK guide for the two-minute setup.
Every plan, including Free, includes translation. Try it free with 25 credits a month, or see pricing if you already know you'll want more.