The digital world is inherently global and increasingly international. Whether in Web 2.0, on social networks, at the office or when travelling abroad, online translation tools such as Google Translate help us to quickly translate and better understand a text or a sentence in a foreign language. The Californian search engine tool, which can be used directly on your browser, has quickly become the most popular solution for translating a word or a small text quickly and for free. Today Google Translate offers translation in more than 100 languages and the utility is constantly evolving and improving. However, there are good practical alternatives to Google Translation that can sometimes even prove more effective in terms of functionality, quality or mobility. We present them to you.
Alternatives to Google Translate
- wordreference
- Linguee
- Microsoft Translator
- Reverso
- Pons
- Translation tools do not replace professional translators.
Overview of alternatives to Google Translate
We start our list with a somewhat specific but widely known tool:
WordReference. It does not offer full text or sentence translation, but it is a dictionary and a complementary online translation tool for words and expressions. Launched in 1999, it now offers translation between English and 18 other languages. It has become a very popular tool and can therefore be considered, despite its limitations and specialization, as a complementary and alternative tool to the Google translator.
The WordReference translator offers 2 categories of results during a search. The first offers the main translations, the second offers the compound forms, which includes many examples as well as expressions. In addition to these 2 categories, the other asset of WordReference is its forum that allows users to interact and help each other on a translation point. The site being popular, many users are active on the forum, making it a very interesting tool and rich in indications. The forum is freely available but it is necessary to register for free in order to take part in the discussions. The search therefore brings many results, even for old expressions, and the online translator makes a good distinction between American English and British English. The online service also offers verb conjugation and WordReference is now available for mobile devices (Android and iOS).
Conclusion: Even if this online dictionary, specialist of the English language, does not offer the possibility to translate sentences or whole texts, WordReference convinces by the quality of the results and by its forum. The application, which is free and pleasant to use, has quickly become an essential tool for English translation: it is therefore a precision tool that represents a good alternative to Google Translate.
Pros
- Simple and convenient interface
- Application for mobile devices (Android and iPhone)
- Numerous and precise results.
- Free application
Cons
- Creation of an account necessary to be able to interact on the forum
- Limited choice of languages (English dictionary)
- No sentence or website translation available
- Quality translation Not usable offline
Another alternative to Google Translation is the Linguee online translation platform. With a simple and relatively minimal interface, the tool launched in 2010 offers effective help for the translation of words and expressions for more than 25 languages. The advantage of Linguee is that the tool will directly explore and search the web for translation examples on bilingual sites and will provide several examples of the searched word in a relevant context. The results can be found under the heading “external sources”, however, the examples are not verified since an algorithm performs the search. However, this offers an interesting and useful comparative approach for a good translation and relevant wording.
Of course, Linguee also offers the classic dictionary option and also offers some synonyms of the translated term. So when it comes to the translation of specific or technical terms, Linguee is a very interesting alternative to Google Translate. Unfortunately, Linguee does not offer the same possibilities as machine translators for translating sentences or texts. Finally, with the application and its integrated database, the Linguee application can be used on mobile devices (Android and iPhone) in offline mode.
Conclusion: Linguee is therefore a translation service that provides a significant advantage over other online translators. In particular, it is particularly suitable for translating and formulating technical or specialized terms in several languages.
Pros
- Wide choice of languages
- Application for mobile devices
- Search bar (words and phrases) with freely selectable source and target language
- Particularly suitable for the translation of technical or specific words
- Application can be used without an Internet connection
Cons
- External sources are not verified.
- Does not offer website or long text translation
- Not free of advertising
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The Microsoft Translator multi-language translation tool is capable of translating entire Web sites and complex sentences. Source: https://www.bing.com/translator |
The Microsoft Translator translation engine is offered under the Microsoft Bing search engine domain and therefore works like Bing Translator. The interface of this service is simple and, above all, free of advertising. This service allows you to translate websites and sentences with up to 5000 characters. The tool is relatively well developed and supports the translation of nearly 60 languages, including languages of small territories (such as Tahitian, Samoan or Fijian) and even a language invented from a fictional universe (Klingon which is the imaginary language of the fictional universe of Star Trek)! Finally, if you want to translate sentences or complete documents, the tool provides fairly good results. Finally it is possible to download the application which will allow you to have access to the instant online translation function: it is the possibility to translate several languages at the same time in the same conversation between several people, this new feature is similar to the one of Skype Translator. In addition, the application has recently been enhanced by offering language packs for download so you can continue to use the application offline.
An important advance from Microsoft Translation is the Neural Network translation cross-checking tool. This free extra feature allows you to check and compare translations of complex phrases or sentences, currently available for 10 languages: Chinese, Arabic, German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Arabic. This technology, still in its infancy and aided by artificial intelligence, which verifies and analyzes context and grammatical particularities, makes translation much more accurate. Microsoft says that “neural networks better capture the context of complete sentences before translating them, providing much higher quality and more humane output. This so-called “organic” translation is new and replaces the classic machine translation tool, but this new method is still in its infancy and therefore imperfect. Finally, Microsoft also offers a paid offer for professionals.
Conclusion: Microsoft Translation is a good alternative to Google Translate, especially if you want to translate entire texts and web pages. The program offers a wide range of translation services.
pros
- Wide choice of languages
- Possibility to translate texts and web pages
- Free of advertising
- More accurate translation via the neural network function for 10 languages
- Instant translation functionality for online conversations
- Selectable source and target language
- Can be used offline on the Internet
Cons
- No built-in search engine
- Registration and creation of an account is mandatory (for the professional option)
Reverso is a simple and practical translation tool and another interesting alternative to the Google translator. For each translation, the software performs an automatic translation as well as examples of the term in 2 or 3 contexts. Reverso also contains a section that offers verb conjugations in English, German, Spanish and French, Italian and Hebrew from any form. A dictionary, particularly useful for synonyms or to obtain a definition of a word, as well as a spelling and grammar checker, is provided. Thus, Reverso is particularly suitable for text corrections and verification. This service also exists as an application, available for mobile devices (Android and iOS). It is not necessary to create a user account to use Reverso, however, registration is still possible in order to take advantage of additional options such as memorization of words and phrases, favorites and history of the latest searches.
The Reverso online service is free of charge and, in addition to translating entire texts, it is very useful for checking passages or correcting important contracts or documents. It also includes links to information portals, encyclopedias and other web sources that can be consulted directly during the translation process.
Conclusion: With Reverso you have the possibility to translate, check and correct texts.
Pros
- Application for mobile devices
- Correction of spelling and grammar available.
- History of the last searches Easily selectable source and target languages
- Dictionary and external sources
Cons
- Limited choice of languages
- No possibility of offline use
- Creation of an account just for the complementary tools
The Pons online translation service is another classic alternative to Google Translate. The application from the well-known German publishing house of the same name is divided into two services: a dictionary and a text translator. Translation into 6 languages (German, English, Chinese, Spanish, Polish and Slovenian) for the dictionary and 4 languages (German, English, Spanish, Polish) for the text translator. The interface is simple and quite pleasant to use. However, the machine translation of the texts does not offer a very high quality translation, but the dictionary, especially in German, is very appreciable. Note that the site also contains a forum for users (less rich and developed, however, than the WordReference forum, for example) as well as a search history. The service is free and above all free of advertising, which makes it pleasant to use.
Conclusion: Pons is a simple and practical translation tool with a text translation tool and a dictionary tool. In addition, the Pons online service also offers a free vocabulary training application.
Pros
- Convenient and pleasant to use Free of advertising
- Precise and reference German dictionary
Cons
- Limited choice of languages
- Not usable offline
Translation tools do not replace professional translators.
Google Translate is the most famous free translation tool on the Internet. Today it is used for private use, while traveling and even in the office. Other complementary or alternative tools also make it possible to carry out translations alone or to quickly understand a text. However, this does not replace the human work of a professional translator. The quality is obviously not comparable. This is because machine translation programs are based on algorithm analysis functions, the results of which frequently vary in terms of quality and accuracy. Thus, even the most powerful tools cannot compete with the work of a professional, who will check technical terms, syntax, grammar and analyze the context, taking into account the cultural or scientific aspect, the meaning and finally the tone of a text. However, as a practical tool in everyday life the above-mentioned alternatives to the Google translator are recommended.