Helpful if you need to find the bathroom
When you need to translate a word or sentence to another language, you probably check with a friend or a foreign language dictionary.
However, using an online translator is a quicker way of doing it. Some translate text into other languages and speak the translation out loud in the other language while others translate spoken words into text.
Table of Contents
While online translators are no match for professional human translators, they’re still effective for specific situations like when a word or portion of text on a document or image is in a foreign language and you want to know the meaning. They’re also not as reliable, especially for if you’re trying to learn a new language, in which case you may prefer a language learning app.
If you just want a quick translation, the best online translators below have you covered.
Best Online Translators to Translate Any Language
Google Translate is probably the most popular free online translator that translates single words or phrases to another language. It detects the language on the input box based on the text, web page, or document you enter into the box and instantly translates it on the output box into a language you can read and understand.
Google Translate
If you need to speak with someone who doesn’t understand your language, Google Translate lets you type what you want to say and it’ll display the translated text to the other person. You can also have the translation read back to you in the translated language, which helps when you’re teaching yourself a language, or speaking with someone who can’t read your language well.
Not only that, but it also provides a dictionary-like way of learning languages by showing you definitions of the words, translation information, and example phrases or sentences. If you need more help, you can reach out to the Translate Community and get verified translations for your language.
If you have a lengthy amount of text or want to translate a whole web page, Google Translate can help you with that. It also provides simple translations that are good enough for readers unfamiliar with other languages to easily understand what they mean, and allows you to copy, share, listen, and save the translated text.
However, it’s not ideal for translating professional documents, highly-sensitive content with personal data, or large translation projects, especially for companies that have to protect their brand values, integrity, and customer data. It also doesn’t customize the translation to specific business needs, which could lead to inaccurate or ridiculous output that comes with serious legal and financial implications on businesses.
If you wish to explore Google Translate further, check out our guide on 9 useful tips on how to use Google Translate.
Bing Microsoft Translator
This online translator also automatically detects any text you enter into the input box, especially if you’re not sure what language it’s written in, and translates it to the language you can understand. If your microphone is enabled, you can speak the word, phrase or sentence you want translated, and hear the translation aloud, copy, share, or use Bing to search the web.
Unlike Google Translate, which offers more than 100 languages, Bing Microsoft Translator offers over 60 languages for up to 5,000 characters, and includes an option to give the translation a little feedback.
Deepl Translate
This is another free online translator you can use to translate words, phrases, sentences, and even documents to 12 languages. It applies the lessons of machine learning to translate text quickly, more accurately and more nuanced than other online translators.
Deepl Translate also offers definitions and options for automatic sentence completion, and you can copy, share or even save the translation as a text file.
If you want more details about a word, just double-click it and a dropdown box will appear with more options and definitions, plus examples of how the word is used in both input and output languages.
Translatedict
Translatedict is a free online translator that detects the word, phrase, or portion of text you enter and gives you 51 languages to choose from depending on what you want to translate it to.
It’s not as easy to use as the first three on this list because you have to press Translate to get the translation on the output box. However, you can also hear the translation out loud, copy or download it.
You can also speak text through the voice translator, convert a word, phrase, sentence, or other text to speech, and get the meanings of words using the online dictionary.
If you need help with professional translation, you can fill out the online form and receive a quote for the service based on your needs.
Yandex Translate
Yandex Translate doesn’t just stop at normal text translations like other online translators. It goes further to translate images and websites too for 99 languages, making it the best online translator for multiple uses. It’s simple, works very quickly, and you can use it to learn new languages.
If you upload an image for translation, you can swap to different languages during the translation without re-uploading the image. It also supports up to 10,000 characters, voice input and output, offers predictive typing, a dictionary with transcription, pronunciation, examples for usage of the word or phrase, and suggests fixes for bad translations.
Babylon Online Translator
Babylon is a leading provider of language solutions with almost two decades of experience in the field of dictionaries, lexicons and thesauri. Its online translator offers an all-in-one platform from which you can translate single words, full sentences, find antonyms and synonyms.
Its database of more than 1,700 dictionaries, thesauri, glossaries, lexicons, and encyclopedias cover a wide range of subjects and allow you to search for literally millions of terms in more than 77 languages.
The best part about this online translator is you can download and use it on your computer with documents you’d like translated. If you want a professional translator, simply click on the Human Translation button on the Babylon online translator and it’ll give you all the details.
Reverso
Reverso is an easy-to-use online translator that translates between languages automatically without having to click a button. It also conjugates verbs in all modes and tenses in 13 different languages.
Its integrated language features include natural-sounding, accurate translations using Neural Machine Translation (NMT), a spell-checker for higher quality translation, integrated dictionaries to fine-tune translations, synonyms, and examples in context.
You can also improve your oral skills in other languages by listening to how the texts are pronounced by native speakers, and copy, print, or use the translations in your daily activities.
Internet Slang Translator
This online translator automatically converts text you enter in the box into slang or to proper English so it’s more of an informal translator for fun rather than for practical use. It translates common internet lingo to English, so you won’t get other languages if you want slang in a foreign language translated into another language you can understand.
If you’re new to some internet terms, you can use it just to understand what the younger people around the home or office talk about. It also allows you to create your own translator, add translation rules, and use it on your website or share with others.
PROMT Online Translator
PROMT is a free online translator that automatically detects languages and picks topics for translation. It offers up to 20 languages with neural, analytical, statistical, and hybrid translation technologies.
You can translate single phrases, words, idioms, and whole texts, and appropriate topics such as personal correspondence or love and dating, and get the translation in an informal style.
An online dictionary is available with search, pronunciation and transcription. There’s also a Word Forms section with all verb tenses in five main languages: English, French, Spanish, German, and Russian, and a Contexts section that helps you find examples of phrases or words in different contexts.
Translate.com
If you need to translate personal or work documents, emails, words, or short sections of text, Translate.com offers more than 90 language pairs you can choose from. Like other online translators, it also lets you use your voice to enter the text, read, and listen to the translation.
It uses machine translation algorithms, human editing and other translation services for a reliable, qualified, and customized translation. Plus, if you want the translation reviewed, there are more than 30,000 expert translators that can do post-machine translations through screening drafts, in-depth checks, meticulous editing, and painstaking proofreading to ensure you get logical and consistent translations.
Collins Dictionary Translator
The Collins Dictionary website offers a lot more than just word definitions and synonyms. It has an online translator tool with over 60 languages, where you can input a word, phrase, or sentence, and it’ll translate your text for you.
Its translations come from Microsoft so you won’t get as many features as other standalone online translators on this list. It’s still useful for quick translations, and there’s a convenient copy button for the translated text.
ImTranslator
This is a set of web-based multilingual tools for translations and comparisons, designed to remove language barriers. It translates selected words, text, phrases, and webpages between more than 100 languages as it links to translation providers such as Bing Microsoft Translator, PROMT, and Google.
You can get simple translations or back translation that automatically translates the target text back to the original so you can compare for accuracy. It also provides special accent characters for company symbols, math, and currency, and other features like a decoder with checkmarks, dictionary, and spelling.
Communicate In Any Language
Each of these online translators offer similar features but some have a few extra functionalities that make communicating easier. Try any one of them and see which one you feel is the best online translator for your needs.
