Thursday, October 11, 2007

Translation tools

Below are some translation tools and services which were reviewed in a recent "InfoTip" from Mary Ellen Bates' email newsletter, available at www.BatesInfo.com/tip.html

FYI, I also use wordreference.com - it's not quite a full-blown translation tool but very handy for quick phrases and sentences. It's available as a plug-in gadget that I keep on my igoogle page. Another nice feature is that you can link to a forum where there is discussion of proper usage of particular phrases, etc.

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* Omniglot <http://www.omniglot.com> is a portal listing language- and translation-related resources. For translation, you can access online dictionaries as well as online translation and localization tools, many of which offer some free use.

* FreeTranslation <http://www.freetranslation.com>, from SDL International, offers text and web site translation in several European and Asian languages. SDL offers a desktop translation tool for subscription - a good investment if you have an ongoing need for translation.

* PROMT <http://www.online-translator.com/text.asp?lang=en> offers a free translation tool that enables you to translate text, web sites and email from and into English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. The quality of the translation is comparable to that of FreeTranslation.

* WorldLingo <http://digbig.com/4tqjr> provides free translation of up to 150 words for text, Web pages and email covering 15 languages. In addition, you can direct the tool to use specialized online glossaries when generating the translation.

* A very useful website is freelang.net <http://www.freelang.net/>, where you can download or view language dictionaries. The site lists translation resources, including tools for hand-held devices and free online translation software. The site also offers free human translation for smaller amounts of text.

[Many thanks to Barbara Verble, researcher and information developer, who contributed this month's InfoTip.]

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