English speakers often assume that their ability to speak the “universal language” will get them where they need to be. With everyone learning English, what is the point of translating content to Spanish, Italian, French, etc? The truth is that readers are more attracted to content that is written in their native language. It is effortless to process and more engaging. As well as that, if we put in the effort to cross the language barrier from English to another language, it shows our commitment to our readers and our target audience. This article will explain some of what we think are the best free resources for getting started when it comes to translating your content.

  1. Google Translate

Google Translate is the most popular. More than being a free and instantaneous resource, it translates English to more than 100 languages and vice versa. It is a very good option for those who are looking for a free translation, although you should be careful with the meaning behind the words since it is still not very accurate.

One of the best features of this resource is that you can listen to the pronunciation of the words in the target language.

As well as that, with it being so popular, there is the advantage of finding other websites that use Google Translate, but with improvements. This is the case with DocTranslator, which, after translating the text, puts it back in place without losing its original format and style. 

  1. DeepL

DeepL is one of the machine translation engines that we like the most. It is a service launched by the creative team at Linguee, another resource that we will talk about later. This website translates to 9 languages with 72 language combinations. It is quite accurate with the meaning of words, and it can help you to translate a document quickly and for free. However, the document must be in Word or PDF format.

  1. Collins Dictionary translator

The Collins Dictionary website can help you to identify which word is the most accurate in another language according to its use. It also allows you to translate complete documents. It is important to note that this translator offers more than 30 languages, although it is perhaps not as well-known as the translators previously mentioned.

  1. Grammarly

Another useful tool that can help you with your translations is Grammarly. This page is for those documents that, once translated, need a second review. It helps to avoid errors that could have been overlooked. Who has not misplaced commas, used the wrong preposition, or incorrectly conjugated verbs? To ensure that these types of errors do not happen, it is best to make sure that everything is grammatically correct.

Another advantage of Grammarly is that you can add it to the Chrome browser for free. In doing so, it will be convenient and useful for countless tasks.

  1. Linguee

Linguee is not used as a document translator. Rather, it is a free multilingual online dictionary. It is different from the rest of the translators in that it incorporates a search engine that gives access to a lot of similar phrases that have been used in previously published online documents. This means that by comparing a word’s use to the meaning that you want to convey, you can choose the one that best suits your translation.

Another website that is similar to Linguee is  WordReference. This resource focuses more on word comparison, while Linguee focuses on sentences. By using both, you will be able to understand the context better.

Free translation or professional translation?

Many websites can perform free translation. We have reviewed those which are the most relevant for us, but there are many more. If you use one that you especially like, please share it in the comments.

However, we want to emphasise that choosing between machine translation or a professional translation depends on the purpose of your texts. 

Even though there are countless free resources for translating a document, contacting a professional translator is the best option for getting quality translations that can be published or used to engage customers. 

With professional translations, you will avoid misunderstandings and instil confidence in your readers and customer. A poor-quality translation can damage your image and reputation. Instead, count on professional translations which will help you grow your business without the fear of misunderstandings.

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