This section of our web guide focuses on language translation tools, whether accessed online or installed on a computer.
Installed computer programs predated online applications because computers became available long before the Internet.
Al-Kindi's Manuscript on Deciphering Cryptographic Messages laid the groundwork for translation technology. In the 1950s, the Georgetown-IBM experiment demonstrated early machine translation capabilities, albeit with rule-based and lexicographical systems. Despite its weaknesses, this experiment paved the way for future advancements.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, IBM researchers pioneered statistical machine translation. SMT using bilingual corpora. SMT improved the accuracy of translation by leveraging statistical models. This marked a significant milestone in translation technology.
The early 1990s brought commercial computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools, empowering human translators. These tools utilized translation memories, glossaries, and other resources to enhance efficiency.
In the late 1990s, IBM released a rule-based statistical translation engine that introduced predictive algorithms and statistical translation, propelling machine translation forward.
The early 2000s saw the advent of cloud-based translation management systems (TMS), which allowed flexible collaboration among teams.
Machine translation is faster and less expensive than human translation and is ideal for handling large-scale business paperwork, manuals, and FAQs. While not as accurate as that produced by skilled human translators, it can serve as a starting point.
Today, online translation tools dominate, but some notable offline programs exist, such as SDL Trados Studio, memoQ, OmegaT, and CafeTran Espresso.
Compatible with Android and iOS platforms, Translate Me can be used to translate text, voice, and even images. It is a free translation tool that supports over a hundred languages, featuring voice recognition technology for real-time voice translation.
In 1997, SYSTRAN launched the first web-based machine translation tool, making it accessible to laypeople.
In 2006, Google launched Google Translate, powered by statistical machine translation until 2016. Today, Google Translate relies on a combination of neural machine translation (NMT) and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. Today, Google Translate supports 133 languages and can provide quick, on-the-fly translations for free, and accessible across web and mobile platforms. Accuracy can vary, and complex or idiomatic expressions may suffer, as Google Translate lacks context understanding and cultural nuances, although it is expected to continue improving.
Another online translation tool is Microsoft Translator, which offers translation services across various platforms and integrates with other Microsoft services, such as Bing, its search engine.
Known for high-quality translations, DeepL uses advanced machine learning technology to provide translations in multiple languages, including nuanced translations.
Most online translation tools are available without subscription rates, although some providers require a free for longer texts. Online language translators offer flexibility across devices, and some of the mobile applications will allow for real-time translated conversations.
Some language translation tools are better than others. Complex or idiomatic expressions may not translate accurately, and there is a potential for misinterpretations due to context gaps.
While installed or online language translation tools are rarely as accurate as that which may be provided by a skilled human translator, they are more cost-effective and are generally accurate enough to allow for communication between languages.
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DeepL is a neural machine translation service launched in 2017 and owned by the Cologne-based DeepL SE. The algorithm uses convolutional neural networks and an English pivot. A paid subscription offers additional features and access to the translation application programming interface. The service uses a proprietary algorithm with convolutional neural networks trained with the Linguee database, and its free version has a limit of 1,500 characters per translation.
https://www.deepl.com/en/translator
Google Translate is a multilingual neural machine translation service developed by Google in 2006 to translate text, documents, words in images, and websites from one language into another. It offers a website interface, a mobile application for Android and iOS, as well as an API that developers can use to build browser extensions and software applications. It is available in some browsers as a downloadable extension. As of 2024, it supports 133 languages at various levels.
https://translate.google.com/
Bing Translator is a user-facing translation portal provided by Microsoft as part of its Bing services. The free online tool allows users to translate words and phrases between English and over a hundred languages. The Bing Bar Translator, which instantly translates text on websites into other languages, is also available to translate web pages. A translator application for iOS or Android devices that can be used for conversations is also available. a help section is present.
https://www.bing.com/Translator/
Part of Microsoft Cognitive Services, and integrated across multiple consumer, developer, and enterprise products, including Bing, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Lync, Yammer, Skype Translator, Visual Studio, and Microsoft applications for Windows, Windows Phone, iPhone, Apple Watch, Android phone, and Android Wear, the multilingual machine translation tool offers a free tier up to two million characters per month, as well as paid tiers with additional characters.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/
M-Translate is applicable everywhere and can be used on mobile phones, tablets, Macs, or PCs. As of 2024, 66 languages are available online, including Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Also available are online dictionaries, an Esperanto translator, an Old Latin translation tool, and Spanish verb translation. Instructions for using M-Translate are included, along with other resources.
https://www.m-translate.org/
Since 1991, PROMT has been a Russian developer of language translation software for businesses and private users. It provides on-premises software based on neural technologies. In 1998, PROMT launched a free online translation service, PROMT.One. Its installed software can be run on Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android, and will work in offline mode. As of 2022, PROMT translated 45 languages from and to English, German, and Russian. Its products and technologies are highlighted.
https://www.promt.com/
The French company specializes in AI-based language tools, translation aids, and language services, including its neural machine translation-based online translation tool, contextual dictionaries, online bilingual concordances, grammar and spell-checking tools, and conjugation tools. Its online translation tool can translate text entered or pasted into the box, as well as PDF files, Word files, and PowerPoint files. An application may be downloaded for Mac.
https://www.reverso.net/text-translation
Using the Google Transliteration Application Programming Interface (API) as its primary online language translation tool, enabling seamless conversion from one language to another, Translate King offers a straightforward and user-friendly method for translating words from one's native language into various other languages. Simply input or paste the native text into the left box, then press the space bar to obtain the precise translation desired in the right box.
https://translateking.com/
The online multilingual text and phrase translator provides translations to 42 languages and has been extended to all European countries. It has proven to be a useful tool for users who can always use it in the language of the given country. The service uses Microsoft Translator technology and a dictionary. The tool can be used without registration and is free of charge in the business and private sphere. Its terms and conditions are published on the website.
https://www.translator.eu/
Utranslated is a machine translation service that facilitates and accelerates localization projects into more than 111 languages, and also offers professional proofreading and translation services covering all sectors of activity. To translate texts quickly, type or paste the text into the machine translation tool using its free (up to 5,000 characters) online translation tool, choose the source and target language, and click to receive the translation in the box on the right side.
https://www.utranslated.com/
Its free AI-powered translator uses a neural machine translation process that relies on neural networks and large language models. The AI-powered translation tool can understand a source text and generate output text in a different language; the larger the language model, the more precise the translation power of the online translator tools is. A premium option and team plan offer additional features, including a plagiarism checker and higher text lengths.
https://wordvice.ai/tools/translate
