Free web translators

Foreign language translating engines on the internet

You'll notice that the very best websites (like this one!) provide a free translation tool (in our case, it's at the very upper-right corner of the screen).

Computerized translations are, of course, far from perfect, but you can use them to understand about 80%–90% of what you're trying to read online in a foreign language—and they are free.

Just cut-and-paste the bit of confusing foreign text into one of these translator engines—or simply plug in the url for the page you want translated—and it will whip out a (sometimes comical, but usually intelligible) rendition in your native language.

Here are the best of the free online translators:

• Google Translate
• Babelfish
• Bing Translator
• Dictionary.com