German → English Translation
German to English translation on macOS - untangles compound nouns, nested clauses, and complex grammar into clear English.
How It Works
Select your text
Highlight the text you want to translate in any application - email, a document, a browser tab, or a chat window.
Press the shortcut
Hit your configured Echoo keyboard shortcut. Nothing is copied to the clipboard and no window opens.
AI translates
Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite reads to the end of German subordinate clauses first, since the verb that determines the meaning sits last.
Result appears inline
The English replaces your selection with long German compounds unpacked into readable phrases.
Example Translation
German (Original)
Die Geschäftsführung hat beschlossen, die Zusammenarbeit mit dem neuen Partnerunternehmen im Bereich der erneuerbaren Energien zu intensivieren.
English (Translated)
The management has decided to intensify the collaboration with the new partner company in the field of renewable energy.
Translating German to English
German compounds have to be unpacked rather than transliterated: Softwareentwicklungsvertrag is a software development agreement, and leaving it as a single English word produces nonsense. Because German pushes verbs to the end of subordinate clauses, the meaning of a long sentence is not fixed until its final word - a translator working incrementally can commit to the wrong reading early. German sentences also run considerably longer than English ones and nest clauses more deeply, so translation usually means splitting them. German prefers the passive where English prefers an actor, and formal German uses constructions that read as pompous if carried straight across. The Sie/du distinction collapses into you, losing the register the German established.
Recommended Setup
Best model for this pair
Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite handles German to English best in our testing. Any provider you have configured will work - this is the one to pick if you have a choice.
Voice dictation
Dictation is supported for German, so you can speak instead of typing and have the result translated in the same step.
Tips for Better Translations
German compound nouns (Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz) are broken down into natural English phrases.
Long German subordinate clauses with verb-final word order are restructured into clear English sentences.
Austrian and Swiss German variants are understood automatically.
Technical German (Fachsprache) in engineering, legal, and medical contexts is handled with domain-appropriate vocabulary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The AI breaks down German compound nouns into natural English phrases, maintaining the original meaning accurately.
Yes. Echoo understands all major German variants including standard German, Austrian German, and Swiss German.
AI models have strong domain knowledge across engineering, legal, medical, and other technical fields, producing accurate English equivalents for specialized German terms.
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