As more and more people in different places around the world are using or starting to use the internet, there is more communication between different languages and cultures.
You may meet a friend at a coffee shop while on a trip or have a distant family member that lives on the opposite hemisphere that speaks another language. With the help of many available translation applications, you can understand and engage in conversation in no time!
The best way to translate is with the Google Translate App. You can not only type in or paste text but also use conversation mode and even your camera for live translation of a document, sign, or label. Grab it from the App Store for iOS/iPhone here or for Android in the Play Store here. There are also many other translation app from the apps store. iPhone also has the Apple Translate app preinstalled or available here.
Alternatively, you can visit the official website at translate.google.com where you can either type text, paste text or paste links for a full page translations. Or use the Google search box. For example, “nice day translate to Greek” where you can change nice day to your word(s) and Greek to your specific language.
Below are the easy steps to translate with ease.
Translate copied or selected text
You can easily translate text you type in or paste in some that was previously copied.
On the iPhone Translate app, you can choose your preferred language conversion at the top type or paste the text.
On Android and most other devices, you can use Google Translate’s Tap To Translate which automatically translates copied text with a few extra steps. Grab the Google Play store app, go to Settings, enable Tap to Translate and next time you copy text in a different language, hit the Translate icon that will pop up.
Translate a website page
On iPhone, you can translate a website in Safari. If a site is translatable, the aA icon will show to the left of the link/address bar. You can then press Translate to English or your default language and repeat to return to original. You may be able to translate this way with extra languages by adding them to the phone’s Settings > Language & Region preferences.
On Android, iPhone and most devices, you can use the Google Chrome browser to translate a page. When visiting a page in a different language than the one of your device, it will offer an option under the menu (⋮) icon.
You can also paste a website link directly into the translate.google.com textbox.
Live Conversation/Real-Time Translation
Having an on-going conversation with someone who speaks a language foreign to you is difficult. With most universal ways to communicate like waving for hello or goodbye being basic, it will be hard to get into actual dialect.
On iPhone, you can use the Conversation tab in the Translate app. First set the languages on each side of the arrows. Then use the microphone (🎙) icon each time one of you speak. You can also press the ellipsis (…) icon and choose live translation so the app can automatically translate as each one of you speak.
On Android, iPhone and most other devices, you can live translate in the Google Translate app by setting the languages at the bottom and hitting Conversation. You can also use the app’s Lens feature where your camera will act as a scanner translating any text.
Translate a document
Translate a documents with ease on the Google Translate website. Hit the Documents tab at the top and choose your desired file from your computer in the browse menu.
Most Translate apps also set text limits, for example Google Translate’s 5,000 character limit. You can copy and paste sections to translate in blocks until all is complete or paste all the text in a new file to then use the document translator.
Learn more about the great features and frequently asked question of Google Translate here.
Happy communicating and translating!