How to Use Google Translate

Edited By: David B.

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The internet is home to a whole world of interesting and useful information, yet a lot of it is probably written in a language that you can't understand. However, thankfully there's a simple way to get around this - Google Translate, which is one of the best Google tricks out there. You can use it to translate snippets of text from one language to another or you can even use it to translate entire web pages. While the translations provided are often far from accurate, you can usually get the gist of what is written, and this is generally more than enough for most users to get by with.

How to Translate a Block of Text

Step 1: Open the Google Translate website by typing translate.google.com into your browser's address bar.

Step 2: Copy the piece of text that you want to translate. You can copy text from almost anywhere, including websites, text files, and other documents. You can also type in the text manually.

Step 3: Paste the piece of text that you need translated into the box on the left.

Step 4: If you need to draw characters for non-Latin languages, then click on the small pencil at the bottom-left of the box, and draw away!

Step 5: Google Translate will usually detect the inputted language automatically. However if it doesn't recognize it, you may manually select it, by clicking on the small arrow:

Step 6: Click on the 'Speaker' button to have the pasted text read out loud.

Step 7: Google Translate will automatically translate your text into your default language. However, you can manually change it by clicking on the small arrow:

Step 8: You can save translations to your personal phrasebook by clicking on this button:

Step 9: If you notice an error in translation, then you can recommend a change by clicking on the 'Wrong?' button. Google Translate Guide

Translating an Entire Website

Step 1: Open the Google Translate website by typing translate.google.com into your browser's address bar.

Step 2: Copy the entire URL (web address) of the website that requires translation.

Step 3: Paste the URL into the box on the left-hand side.

Step 4: Google Translate will usually detect the inputted language automatically. However if it doesn't recognize it, you may manually select it, by clicking on the small arrow:

Step 5: Google Translate will automatically translate your text into your default language. However, you can manually change it by clicking on the small arrow:

Step 6: Click on the link in the right-hand box to open up the website in its newly-translated form.

Step 7: If you want to go back to the original language, then simply click on the 'Original' button.

Using the Mobile App

Step 1: Download the app for Android devices from here, and for Apple devices from here.

Step 2: Choose a method for inputting text:
• Typing: Tap on the field above and type away. Your translation will begin to appear as you type.
• Speech: Tap the 'Microphone' button to speak a phrase that needs to be translated.
• Handwriting: Tapping the 'Squiggle' button will allow you to easily draw non-Latin characters.
• Camera: Tap the 'Camera' button to take a photo of a piece of text for translation. For best results, make sure that the photo is as clear as possible.

Step 3: Select the best possible result from the ones shown, to get further knowledge about the phrase.

Google Translate is certainly one of the most useful of the many Google tricks out there. If you found this guide useful, then you may also be interested in these fantastic Google apps, and while you're here, why not learn about the benefits of Google Drive, too?

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