Learning About Translation Tools

Are you looking for translation tools that are easy to use, free and helpful? Here’s our opinion on some of the most popular ones in the market. We also offer all types of translation and interpreting services in London.

translation tools

Finding Good Translation Tools

Here are some of the most popular free translation tools.

Google Translate: Google Translate is arguably the most popular online translation tool. It went through a lot of improvements over the years and is an easy and fast way to translate a sentence or a phrase. This service is free and can be accessed by using a browser that is connected to the internet.

Word Lingo: Word Lingo is also a fairly reliable translation tool. The site supports 33 languages and also offers their translation services for free.

We said “fairly reliable” because you need to take into consideration two things: 1) there are many problems that come with machine translation, and the output will never be 100% accurate; and 2) while some sites offer translation for free, others charge for the software — this means that paid a translation software offers more than a free one. SDL, for example, offers both free translation and paid human translation on their website. This clearly shows the downside of using free translation services and the benefits of human translation.

There are also translation tools that you can get for a fee. You can buy a translation software from the company’s website, and you can then either download it to your computer or you will get a disk with the software. Some companies will require you to renew your subscription after a certain period of time, usually annually.

Here are some of them:

Babylon is said to have one of the highest accuracy rates, with most errors hitting capitalization and grammar. The newest version offers 77 languages.
Power Translator is another good one, only a few points below Babylon in accuracy. It offers 12-month subscriptions, but only has 7 languages.
Prompt is one of the easiest translation software, with useful features. It has a very simple interface and easy to use icons.

If you are looking for something more on- the- go, Apple has recently released a new app called Pixter Scanner. This app has the same technology as and OCR that allows you to scan and translate while you’re traveling, at the supermarket, or having dinner with friends. Its compatible with both iPhone and iPad, and supports English, Arabic, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese and Turkish. While it is ideal for non- official translation such as when you’re reading the French Vogue or ordering from at a Japanese restaurant. The app costs $2.99. However, because its accuracy is about as good as any other translation tools, it is not advised to be used for any projects that require professional translation.

Google Translate also provides an app to Android and Apple users as well as other translation tools such as Language, Universal Translator, iTranslate, iProTranslate, and Voice Translate Pro.

It is important to note that none of these translation tools have achieved 100% accuracy. Translation tools are meant to be a quick help, but not for legal or medical translation services. It is still best to hire a professional human translation with a degree and experience in the field.

Here is a funny translation from Google Translate of the popular song “Let It Go” from the movie “Frozen”:

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