Do you know of any websites where I can find free translations of languages

Asks monica

A. There are numerous websites that translate text - two of the most popular are http://www.freetranslation.com and http://babelfish.altavista.com. Both sites are easy to use for rapid, automatic translation and are intended for general purpose, not specialist, use.

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Q. How much text will a free translation site translate and what languages do they cover

A. Some sites will only translate a sentence or a paragraph, while others will do several web pages at one time. Altavista translates approximately 800 words at one time and Freetranslation.com about 1,300.

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If you attempt to translate too much text at once the machine translator may "time out" or take a long time to complete the task, so it is best to copy and paste in small sections and translate each section separately. You will be able to find a site that translates almost any language - French, German, Spanish, Arabic and Italian are the most popular.

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Q. How do translation websites work

A. Basic sites will simply use dictionary translations and provide a word-for-word translation. Other, more complex sites will use their own patented software eg. Freetranslation.com is powered by its Enterprise Translation Server, which interprets sentence structure in the source language (language you are translating from) and generates a translation based on the rules of the target language.

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Q. Why are they free

A. They are usually free up to a point. If you want to translate words, phrases or a couple of pages of text you can do it on a free translation site but the ultimate aim is usually to generate new business and sell its enhanced services.

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Freetranslation.com uses its free site as a showcase for its translation technology which it then sells on to other companies, web sites etc.

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Q. What is the difference between machine translation and human translation and which is better

Machine translation is carried out by a computer following a set of programmed rules, which means it is not perfect, but it is often immediate and free - and while it might include some mistakes it will give you the general gist or intent of an article or document. The best machine translation systems analyse sentences and their structure and translate words and phrases in the context of the original document not word-for-word replacements.

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It is unlikely that machine translation will replace human translation in the foreseeable future as only human translators can produce a perfect translation of a complex text. The human touch is undoubtedly better for published documents or for disseminating information to others, but it is not as fast and a lot more expensive.

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Q. What type of text translates best

A. Plain, uncomplicated text will translate best. Newspapers are typically well written and use proper grammar and therefore translate very well. For the best results avoid long sentences, slang and idiomatic expressions.

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Q. How would I translate a foreign language web page

A. Free translation websites will translate any web pages for you and give you the gist of the text, but for accurate, polished translations it would be safer to pay for a complete translation rather than a basic machine translation. Some free sites provide this service or examples of sites that specialise in website translations are:

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http://www.aapi.co.uk/translation

http://www.languages4you.com

http://www.web-translator.com

http://www.tolocalise.com

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Q. Where would I find a listing of free translation websites to choose from

A. Try http://www.translate-free.com it gives a full and comprehensive listing of free translation sites available on the Internet.

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By Karen Anderson