Type in your language. Press Ctrl twice. They read Vietnamese.Chinese.Korean.Japanese.Thai.
Penwise translates right inside the chat box of WhatsApp, WeChat, Zalo, Messenger or Telegram and replaces the text you just typed. No Google Translate tab, no copying back and forth.
What language do they speak?
Each hotkey has its own target language, for example Ctrl twice for Vietnamese and Shift twice for Chinese. Change them any time in Settings. Type in any language and Penwise recognises it.
Read their message, reply, polish. Never leave the chat box.
A message you can't read? Select it and you understand.
Select the message and press Ctrl + Alt. A translation box opens next to the cursor. Resize it as you like, press Read aloud to hear the pronunciation, or Reply to write your answer in your own language.
Reply in your language. They read theirs.
Type as usual, select it, press Ctrl twice. Penwise swaps the text right in the chat box, you just press Enter. Chat shorthand, typos and missing accents still come out in the right language.
Not happy with the wording? Press again.
Select the translation and press Ctrl twice again: Penwise rewrites the same meaning in different words. Polite, friendly or sales tone, you choose. Changed your mind? Ctrl + Z brings back the old sentence.
| 尺码 | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 胸围 (cm) | 96 | 100 | 104 | 108 |
| 衣长 (cm) | 66 | 68 | 70 | 72 |
Text in images, or anything you can't select.
Press Ctrl + Alt + S and drag a box around text on screen: size charts, invoices, screenshots of chats. Gemini reads the text in the image and translates it.
Fix spelling and grammar
Select a sentence you typed in a hurry and press Ctrl + ~. “hello i just wanna check” becomes “Hello, I just want to check.” Same language.
Natural Vietnamese
Vietnamese changes words for “I” and “you” by age and relationship. Pick a style once and Penwise addresses people the right way.
Your own glossary
Product names, SKUs and trade terms are translated exactly the way you want, every time.
Resizable translation box
Long text? Drag the edge to make the box bigger, hold Ctrl and scroll to enlarge the text. Penwise remembers the size.
Translation history
Look back at what you translated, search by text or language, copy it again when you need it.
Interface in 3 languages
English, 中文, Tiếng Việt. Switch inside the app, no restart needed.
Penwise collects none of your data
No account, no Penwise server, no tracking, no ads. Penwise runs on your PC and only talks to Google Gemini, using your own key.
No Penwise server
No sign-up, no login. There is nowhere for Penwise to send or store your chats.
Everything stays on your PC
Your API key, settings, history and glossary are stored only on your computer. Delete the app and they are gone.
Straight to Google
Only the text you select is sent from your PC directly to Google Gemini for translation, with no server in between.
Read aloud stays local
Read aloud uses the voices built into Windows. No audio or text is sent anywhere.
Note: on the free tier, Google may use content sent to Gemini to improve its services. Don't select passwords, card numbers or ID documents. This website only counts visits and downloads. It does not store IP addresses or personal information.
Light, free, runs right on your PC
Anyone who chats across languages every day
Selling online
A customer in Vietnam asks about sizes on Zalo. You answer in English, they read Vietnamese.
Sourcing from China
Ask factories about wholesale prices, new samples and delivery dates on WeChat without an interpreter.
Working with foreign teams
Message a Korean manager on Teams, read emails from Japanese partners, polish your English before you hit send.
Studying or working abroad
Read school notices, message your landlord, translate photos of documents and bills.
3 steps, about 5 minutes
Download and open Penwise
Unzip the file and open Penwise.exe. No installation, no account.
Download Penwise →Get a free Gemini API key
Sign in to Google AI Studio with your Google account, create a key and paste it into Penwise.
See the guide →Select, press Ctrl twice
In any text box: WhatsApp, WeChat, Zalo, Messenger, Gmail, Word, your browser.
Free. No ads. No account.
Download Penwise freeFrequently asked questions
Does Penwise cost anything?
Penwise is free. It translates with Google Gemini through your own API key, and Google's free tier is enough for everyday chatting. When one model runs out of quota for the day, Penwise switches to another automatically.
What is a Gemini API key? Is it safe?
The key works like a password that lets Penwise call Gemini with your Google account. It is stored only on your PC. Don't share it; if it leaks, create a new key in Google AI Studio and delete the old one.
Where does the text I select go?
Only the text you select (or the screen area you draw a box around) is sent directly from your PC to Google Gemini, with your key, for translation. Penwise has no server, so it never receives, stores or sees your chats. On the free tier Google may use content sent to Gemini to improve its services, so don't select passwords, card numbers or ID documents.
Windows shows a blue “Windows protected your PC” screen?
Click More info, then Run anyway. The app is new and not code-signed yet. Some antivirus tools warn because Penwise watches the Ctrl, Shift and Alt keys to detect double presses; it does not record or send what you type.
Which apps does it work in?
Anywhere you can select text on Windows: WhatsApp, WeChat, Zalo, Messenger, Telegram, Gmail, Teams, Word, Excel, your browser. For things you can't select (images, video), use Ctrl + Alt + S.
Is there a Mac or phone version?
Not yet. Penwise is for Windows 10 and 11 only.
How do I update?
Download the new version here, unzip it and open it. Penwise replaces the running old version and keeps your key and settings.
Buy the author a coffee
Penwise is free. If it helps you reply faster, a coffee gives me more time to build the next version. Transfers go to a bank account in Vietnam.
Scan with any Vietnamese banking app (VietQR)
Start using Penwise
About 5 minutes. You need a Windows 10/11 PC and a Google account.
Download and open Penwise
Download the zip, extract it (right-click → Extract All) and open Penwise.exe. Nothing to install. It runs in the system tray at the right end of the taskbar.
Windows shows a blue “Windows protected your PC” screen? Click More info → Run anyway. The app is new and not code-signed yet.
Get a free Gemini API key
- Open aistudio.google.com/apikey and sign in with your Google account.
- The first time, accept the terms. Google usually creates a key for you; if not, click Create API key.
- Click the copy icon to copy the key, a string that starts with AIza…
Treat the key like a password and don't share it.
Paste the key into Penwise
Double-click the Penwise icon in the tray to open Settings. On the General page, paste the key into the API key box and click Check key. When you see ✓ Key is valid, you're done. Settings also lets you switch the interface language to English or 中文.
The key is stored only on your PC. Penwise uses it only to call Google Gemini and never sends it anywhere else.
Try the hotkeys
| Ctrl Ctrl | Translate into this hotkey's language (English by default) and replace the text in the chat box. Press again on the translation to get a rewrite. |
| Shift Shift | A second hotkey with its own language (Chinese by default). Type in any language. |
| Ctrl + Alt | Just show the translation in a small box, in your reading language. Doesn't replace anything. |
| Ctrl + Alt + S | Translate a screen area: drag a box around text in an image. |
| Ctrl + ~ | Fix spelling and grammar, same language. |
| Ctrl + Z | Don't like the translation? Get your original text back. |
Set the language of each hotkey, the translation box language and the tone in Settings → Languages & hotkeys and Writing style. For example: Ctrl twice → Vietnamese, Ctrl + Alt → English.