Where do you go when you need a quick translation to another language? A friend? Or a foreign language dictionary? You can also keep a handy browser extension if you need to translate words often.
However, things can get challenging if you prefer not to install one, or if your company simply doesn't allow it. These free online translators are perfect for fast word or sentence swapping to other languages. And some, in fact, offer extra features that make them even better.
When you find the best translator for your needs, don't forget to bookmark it so that it's always close at hand. So let's go over some of the best online translators available to use.
1. Google Translate
One of the most popular online translation services is offered by Google. And if you search Google for translators, its own handy translation website will pop right up above your search results. This means you do not have to open another website.
But if you have a lengthy amount of text to translate, the Google Translate website is your spot. You have more space for your text and can choose your input method from handwriting or keyboard options. Other features you might like are saving, listening to, sharing, or copying the translated text.
In addition, you can suggest an edit if you believe the translation is incorrect. Google Translate provides over 100 languages.
2. Bing Translator
Another big name in free online translation websites is Bing, which uses Microsoft Translator. You can select your input language or have the site automatically detect it as you type. If you have your microphone enabled, you can speak the text you want to be translated, which seems quite convenient if you ask us.
After you receive the translation, you have options to hear it aloud in a male or female voice, share it, or search Bing with it. Moreover, you can also give the translation a thumbs-up or thumbs-down if you would like to provide a little feedback. The free translator offers over 60 languages, which makes it a perfect bargain in our opinion.
3. Translatedict
On Translatedict, you can choose from over 50 languages and use auto-detect for your own dialect. Just enter your word, phrase, or even a large amount of text, pick the translation language, and hit the Translate button. You'll see the written translation and can click the sound button to hear it out loud.
If you're using the translation in written communication, you'll see helpful word and character counts at the bottom. This is great for texts or social media posts where you have limited space.
Translatedict also provides areas solely for the voice translator and text-to-speech feature. Plus, you can request help with professional translations and receive a quote by filling out the online form.
4. Translate.com
A good translator that uses Microsoft's service, but offers over 30 languages, is Translate.com. You can use your voice or keyboard to enter the text, then read or listen to the translation.
If you believe the translation should be reviewed, you can obtain a human translation with the first 100 words free of cost. Just click the contact icon and select sign in, or create an account if this is your first time using the tool.
5. DeepL Translator
The DeepL Translator is a really cool tool that comes with its own definitions and automatic sentence completion options. You can choose from 26 languages and when you receive the translation, just double-click on a word for more details. Luckily, the tool can also translate languages on Linux and other operating systems.
When you select that word in the translation, you will see a dropdown box with more options. You can also take a look at the word definition that pops up at the bottom of the page at the same time.
Plus, you will see examples of the word being used in both the input and output languages. This is a great feature to have if you are trying to learn the language you are translating into.
6. PROMT Online Translator
PROMT Online Translator does not offer as many languages as other translators. The list is limited to about 22 languages so far. But it does have other nice features. For instance, it makes use of automatic language detection and even chooses a topic for the translation.
You can then copy, paste, check the spelling, or access a dictionary. There is also a virtual keyboard, so if you are using the site on a tablet, for example, popping in your words or sentences is simple. PROMT also offers translation software that you can purchase and download. Interestingly, this free online website translator is also available as an app for Android and iOS users.
7. Collins Dictionary Translator
If you use the Collins Dictionary website for looking up definitions or synonyms, then take a look at the translator. You can input text and translate it to and from over 60 languages.
While this translator has minimal features, the translations come from Microsoft and there is a convenient copy button for the text you receive. If you are in the market for a basic translator on a site with a dictionary, thesaurus, and grammar tools, Collins Dictionary is the one for you.
8. ImTranslator
ImTranslator is a great site for translations and comparisons at the same time. You can get a simple translation, back translation, and comparison between PROMT, Google, and Microsoft translators all at a same place. The site offers tons of languages as it links to other popular translation services like Google too.
As for extras, there are a bunch of helpful tools like the Back Translation tool which automatically translates the target text back to the original—this helps you compare for accuracy.
Take advantage of the automatic language detection, dictionary, spelling, and decoder feature with checkmarks. Or use the buttons to copy, paste, use text-to-speech, or share the translation via email. ImTranslator also provides special accent characters that include currency, math, and company symbols.
9. SpanishDict
If your main translation needs are English to Spanish, then SpanishDict is your ideal choice. Right on the main page, you can pop in the text you need translating. But what's nice about this Spanish translator is that it includes a special character set too.
When you see the translation box, just click the arrow to expand it with accent buttons. If you have received text in Spanish and need to translate it to English, those characters come in handy. And, of course, you can translate the opposite way as well. Other good features are the definitions and examples you receive with your translation. For more, check out the best apps for learning Spanish.
10. Reverso
Reverso is a website offering a host of free communication technologies. It makes use of Neural Machine Translation (NMT), an approach to machine translation through artificial neural networks. Its services range from translation, spelling and grammar checks to dictionaries, context checkers, and more.
With support available for most of the popular languages like German, Spanish, English, Chinese, Japanese, and more, it currently serves around 60 million active users on the web. Apart from the online translation tools, you can also install its browser extension. Reverso is also available as an app for Android, iPhone, Mac, and Windows platforms.
But, if you're part of an organization searching for something more solid, you should try the Reverso Corporate Translator, a paid and enhanced version of the free online translation service.
11. ChatGPT
An unexpected addition to this list for some, perhaps, but it's no news that ChatGPT and other AI tools have taken the world by storm. Indeed, one of the numerous purposes of such tools is to function as a translator. Here's an example:
The above is a translation of an English article from The Economist into Hindi. Although the translation is far from perfect (there are some problems with tenses and wordings), it's more than good enough to get the point across in an informal conversation.
Although if you're just translating simple one-liners, you'll see that the tool performs much better.
You can use the free version of ChatGPT with a simple registration. There's also a premium version that comes with better performance, which will cost you $20/month. So give the tool a spin and see if you like it as an online language translator.
Find the Best Online Translator for Your Needs
Communication barrier is a real thing. And doubly so if you are dealing with a script that's totally unfamiliar to you. Luckily, you have the above online language translators and any of them can get the job done.
And, since each of the tools that we've listed here has a different feature to offer, don't hesitate to try more than one of them and see which you like the best. Or why not go one step further and try to learn a new language?
