Podfather Designs Sponsored this post: Google Translation

1. Google Translate is a free, automatic translator. Google Translate currently supports translation between dozens of languages. To see a full list of the supported languages, or to learn about how our translations are created, visit the About Google Translate page.

2. How to use Google Translate

   Translate text instantly 

   1. Visit translate.google.com
   2. Select your languages for translation. If you aren't sure what language you're attempting to translate, click the Detect language button. (The accuracy of the automatic language detection increases with the amount of text entered.)
   3. Start typing and the translation will appear instantly

   You'll need to have JavaScript enabled to take advantage of our instant translation feature. If you do not have JavaScript, you can click the Translate button to trigger a translation. To turn off instant translations, click Turn off instant translation at the bottom-left of the page.

   Read and listen to your translation

   If you're translating to a non-Roman (Latin) script, you'll see a button with the symbol Ä next to the translation. Clicking this button will spell out the translation in Roman (Latin) alphabet characters.
   For many languages, you may also see a speaker button near the translated text which you can click to hear a spoken version of your translation.
   

   Dictionary results

   When you translate a single word or a common phrase, you may see a simple dictionary underneath the translation indicating parts of speech and possible alternative translations. Next to each dictionary entry, you'll see a corresponding set of reverse translations back into the original language. The bar next to each entry indicates how commonly that particular translation is used on the Web.
   Click on any alternative translation to replace your original phrase with the alternate wording.
   

   Show example usage of words

   When you search for translations of single words or phrases, it is often useful to see the translation used in context. Click the example usage icon next to your translation to see an example sentence containing your translation.
   

   Translate words or phrases by voice

   Often the easiest way to enter your translation is to speak it, especially if you aren’t sure of the spelling for the word or phrase. Follow the instructions below to translate by voice:
   

   1. Click the microphone icon in the input box
   2. Speak the word or phrase you want to translate
   3. Click outside of the input box or on the microphone icon to finish recording

   Save your translations in your phrasebook

   Click the star icon next to your translation to add it to your phrasebook. Your phrasebook is synced to your Google Account, so you can have quick and easy access to your saved translations, no matter if you’re accessing Google Translate from a web browser or using the Google Translate Android app.
   

3. Modify your keyboard to search in other languages

   It can be difficult to input a translation for certain languages if you don't have a special keyboard layout that supports the language's script. For these supported languages, you'll see an input method icon at the bottom of the text box. Click the input tools icon to toggle the currently selected input tool on and off. You can also click the drop-down arrow next to this icon to select a different input tool. Depending on the language, there may be input tools for phonetic typing, virtual keyboards, or handwriting.
   

   Phonetic typing

   Phonetic typing allows you to type in a language written in a different script using a Roman (Latin) alphabet representation of the words. For example, you can type aap for आप in Hindi and when you press space, the word will be converted to Hindi script. Phonetic typing is on by default if your browser language is set to a different language from the input language. When the phonetic typing input tool is selected, you can click the input method icon to toggle phonetic typing on or off. Phonetic typing does not interfere if you are using a native-layout keyboard for such languages.
   

   Virtual keyboard

   The virtual keyboard input tool opens up a language-specific keyboard on your screen. These keyboards are designed specifically for inputting text in your chosen language. For example, if your input language is set to Russian, you can select a Cyrillic keyboard. You can control the virtual keyboard with your physical keyboard or by clicking on the virtual keyboard keys.
   

   Handwriting

   The handwrite tool allows you to translate a written expression, even if you don’t know how to type the characters. Instead, draw the characters on your screen and you’ll instantly see the translation. Once you’ve chosen your languages for translation, use the input tools icon to switch to handwrite.
   
   

4. Translate webpages and documents

   Translate entire webpages

   Translate an entire web page directly from Google Translate simply by entering its address (e.g. www.google.com) into the input box and click Translate.
   Click on the translated link to view the page in your preferred language. To see all of the original text of the page, click the View: Original radio button in the top right corner of the translated page.
   

   Translate documents from your computer

   Google Translate also provides an easy way to translate whole documents, without the need for copying and pasting large blocks of text. Simply click the translate a document link and submit your file as a PDF, TXT, DOC, PPT, XLS or RTF. Alternatively, you can simply drag your file into the browser window. Please note that some of your original formatting may not be preserved.