Keyboard

The Keyboard page (T-Hub → Keyboard, titled "Dictation & Translation") sets up the shortcuts of the Vavus AI desktop app. "Six shortcuts that work in any app: dictate, translate, or ask AI without switching windows."

The shortcuts work only in the desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux. In a web browser this page shows the six shortcuts and a link to download the desktop app.

The six shortcuts

1. 1
   Dictate · Ctrl+D

   Press and hold to speak, release to insert the text wherever your cursor is.

2. 2
   Voice translate · Ctrl+T

   Press and hold to dictate, and the translation is typed instead of your words.

3. 3
   Text translate · Ctrl+'

   Translate selected or copied text. Select text, or use copied text when nothing is selected. The translation is pasted and stays on the clipboard.

4. 4
   Reverse · Ctrl+R

   Translate selected or copied text back into your language. Select text, or use copied text when nothing is selected. The reverse translation is pasted and stays on the clipboard.

5. 5
   Text AI · Ctrl+/

   Ask AI about selected or copied text. Select your question, or use copied text when nothing is selected. The AI reply is copied.

6. 6
   Voice AI · Ctrl+G

   Hold to speak, release to ask the AI and paste the reply.

"Translations stay on your clipboard. On healthcare and enterprise accounts they're cleared after 30 seconds, unless you've copied something else."

Settings (desktop app)

• Enable dictation: listens for the shortcuts at all.
• Shortcuts: one switch for each of the six shortcuts, so you can turn any of them off on its own. All six are on by default.
• Floating bar: an always-on-top bar to dictate and pick snippets, transforms and mood. Off by default.
• Agentic AI and Agentic AI model: let Voice AI search the web and take several steps to answer.
• Language: the language you dictate in.
• Speech model: Fast, Standard, Pro or Medical, used for Ctrl+D and Ctrl+T.
• Recording mode: Fast uses smaller uploads; Standard puts audio quality first.
• Writing tone: how polished your dictation reads. "No mood" keeps your exact words.
• Translate to and Translation engine (V-Translate or Vavus AI): used by Ctrl+T, Ctrl+' and Ctrl+R.
• Snippets: a short trigger that expands to longer text, picked from the floating bar.
• Format & Transforms: copy text, then pick a transform from the floating bar to rewrite it.
• Recognition words: names or terms you want dictation to recognize. These are the same words as on the Words tab of the Glossary.

On macOS, dictation needs Accessibility access. If it is missing, the page shows Open Accessibility Settings; turn on Vavus AI there and restart the app.

How dictation behaves

• When you press Ctrl+D, the status reads "Getting ready…" on the floating bar ("Starting..." in the app) until the microphone is really recording, then switches to "Listening…".
• If you dictate twice in a row into the same spot, a space is added between the two pieces, but never before punctuation.
• Your Glossary terms are applied when you translate with Ctrl+T, Ctrl+' and Ctrl+R.