6 Ways To Translate Any Webpage You Visit - MakeUseOf

Summary

• Use your browser's translation tool to view any web page in your preferred language instantly.
• Install browser add-ons for more language options or advanced translation capabilities.
• Alternatively, you can use standalone translation websites or apps to translate text or entire web pages.

As you browse the internet, you'll come across web pages in languages other than your first language. Chances are you won’t understand most.

Thankfully, there are more feasible solutions than learning every language in the world. Here are three ways to swiftly translate the language on any web page you visit.

Translate Any Web Page Using Your Browser's Built-In Translation Tool

Many popular web browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera, and Firefox, have built-in translation tools that can instantly translate the content of any page you're viewing. These translators detect the language of the page and offer to translate it into your preferred language.

For many web browsers, accessing these translation tools is automatic. You don’t need to install anything. All you need to do is toggle on the translation tool in your browser's Language Settings bar and set a preferred language.

Some browsers may have specific settings, but the process is generally straightforward. For instance, Edge automatically translates pages that aren't in a language among your preferred languages. Meanwhile, you’ll have to add languages you’d like to be automatically translated into Chrome.

Once the translation tool is up and running, you only have to visit the web pages you’d like to view. Imagine you have English Language set as your preferred language, and you visit a German news site. When you open a page, your browser will detect the foreign language and offer to translate the page into English.

This might not be the case for every browser, but for most, you only need to visit the website in question. Alternatively, you should be able to right-click anywhere on the page and select Translate or use the translation icon (it usually has two characters, each one from a different language, placed side by side) in the address bar.

Want more details on using the translation tools in specific browsers? Check out our guides for translating web pages in Google Chrome, using Firefox translations, and translating web pages in Microsoft Edge.

Install Browser Add-ons or Extensions to Translate Web Pages

While in-built browser translation tools are great, many of them don’t offer a great number of languages. For instance, Firefox Translations supports only ten languages at the time of writing.

If your browser’s in-built translation tool isn’t up to par, or if your browser doesn’t have an in-built tool, you can install a translation extension or add-on. These tools can provide more advanced translation capabilities, allowing you to customize settings, translate entire websites, and more.

Some popular browser translation extensions include Google Translate, Mate Translate, and ImTranslator.net. Each browser add-on or extension has its perks. For instance, Google Translate supports over 240 languages, which is one of the highest offerings available.

Because ImTranslator.net is an aggregator of several translation services, it allows you to compare translations from different services. Mate Translate is great if you’re learning a language because it speaks the translations accurately and allows you to save phrases you pick up along the way.

For a more in-depth look at browser translation extensions, check out our guide on the top browser tools to translate web pages.

Use External Translation Websites or Applications

If you don't want to rely on your browser's built-in translation features or install any extensions, you can also use standalone translation websites or apps. These tools typically allow you to translate some text or entire web pages into an external page.

Tools like DeepL allow you to copy and paste text into a text box. This means you can copy some parts of a web page that you'd like to translate. Alternatively, you can upload files or even use the microphone to upload audio recordings or speeches.

Other translation websites, like Google Translate and TranslatePress, allow you to input the URL of the web page you want to translate, as well as the language you’d want it translated into.

After the web page has been translated, it’ll be displayed in a new tab in your preferred language.

It's worth noting that translations by these tools aren't always accurate and may not always translate text to its exact meaning. For the most part, you should be able to work out any mistakes but don't solely rely on one translation tool.