What are your thoughts on google translate?

[LauraM]

I find Google Translate to be a useful tool to use when researching and I encounter search results in Google in a foreign language.  Typically, I'm just reading a news story or an essay -- or possibly something in social media -- and so what's important is to get the gist of what has been said.  I can see the awkward phrasings here and there but as long as I have a general idea, it's adequate. 

I think it's great that we have such a tool, as imperfect as it may be.  It reminds me of the original "Star Trek" series and the "universal translator" that the crew of the Enterprise had.  Growing up and watching those reruns on TV I thought to myself it would be really cool if we had such a thing.  Google Translate -- although it is in written format -- kind of reminds me of the "universal translator"  and so when I really think about it, I do find it to be rather amazing.  As time goes on I'm sure it will get better and better.

[Ariel]

I like Google Translate for browsing websites. Google Chrome's even better because it automatically translates pages for you.

I don't like using it to communicate with people because sometimes the message is completely different from what you intended.

All my language teachers have told me Google Translate cannot compare to a human translator. Also note that the quality of the translation differs from language to language.

[SpiralArchitect]

I think its utility lies in being able to translate sites in different languages and for informal work but that's about it. I have tried translating English into German and then re-translating the result to English and getting a different result from the original. That's why I don't consider it reliable. Its handy but definitely not meant for anything remotely formal or official.

[pcgamer]

I am not a fan. I guess there is still much work to be done at least in the Bulgarian version of Google Translate, because the results are  often hideous  :frozen: I use it only when I really have no other choice, like when I needed to check one Chinese cross stitch site.

I find myself in the same shoes. Not a big fan of Google Translator either, but it's improving rather rapidly.

[SarahRTW]

It's alright for translating basic, short documents.  However, for anything extensive or more complicated its usefulness is seriously limited.

I was doing some work writing tourist information recently and tried using it to decipher international websites.  The translation was sketchy at best  (I suspect the translation of specific terms was incorrect, based on the context) and incomprehensible at worst.  I have also had issues with it proving a word that actually doesn't exist in the language.

That said, if all I wanted was to read an email in a foreign language, it's good for that. It's good if I just want a basic sentence or phrase translated.  It's also better than other translators I have seen.  Overall, I'd give it maybe 6/10. 

[Alfonso]

You won't get the exact translation you want, but it will pretty much give you a gist of whats being said. I think its a great tool to help deal with language barriers and even learning. One good thing to know is Google translate is improving constantly, maybe 5 years from not you'll have a more sophisticated mechanism working Google translate that will give better results.

[TimmyToo]

I think it depends on the situation. Translating entire paragraphs or essays can be really sketchy; as the grammar can be wrong quite often. If you do decide to translate larger things, make sure to go back and look for anything that is obviously wrong. Using translate for small things that you are stuck on though can be quite helpful, just make sure nothing is blatantly wrong.

[deyvion]

I use Google Translate all the time for translating specific words, and I like that you get several options. However, when it comes to translating sentences, the results have had some severe misunderstandings. So for me Google Translate is still good for word findings, but I do not use it for sentences anymore.

[guy451]

Google Translate is great if you are trying to translate one word at a time. I have tried to use it to translate a phrase and it sometimes works, but other times it gives you a horrible translation. It's a great tool to have if you are learning a language and do not know all the words, but have an idea of the grammar of the language. If you are just starting out with a language I would recommend using a learning software or taking a class and not trying to learn with Google translate.

[limon]

Yes, it's handy for limited things and emergency situations. It's also a good travel app for when you want to convey a single word that you can't describe by hand gestures.

For anything over a simple sentence it's tricky. I've had some good results with things like receiving an email in a foreign language and running it through it; the results were not pretty, but I did manage to communicate with a German this way for basic instructions and directions.

[bonniea]

When using google translate using short phrases have the best chance of correct translation. Sentence structure is often not correct. But I have had luck translating a few words at a time. So for a short conversation it is helpful. For a long paragraph I find it is not very accurate.

[Beverly]

If you just want to check one word or uses ,It's not bad. When you try to check a full sentence,it can turn into a hilarious translation. My friend tried to tell me something in Indo by using google translate to do the job and It just made me laugh .I know what she tried to tell me but the translation was so off ,it actually meant another thing. Sometimes I'd be like 'I have no clue what you are trying to say' and she'd be like 'Maybe your Indo is just not that good' lol

[GetFresh]

I like using Google Translate for helping me understand languages I haven't even seen.  It's great to get a gist of what the text says, but not for a full translation.  I find it very helpful at times, it saved me a couple times, language-wise.

[xlzqwerty1]

It may not be the perfect translator to use, but it is very handy at translating phrases bit by bit. I often use it for translating phrases, or each separate word in a phrase. Unfortunately, trying to translate a whole sentence or paragraph can have unwanted and unexpected results that are often incorrect. It's not easy to program a translator between so many different languages :/

[Daedalus]

I mainly find it useful to translate something foreign back to English. The result may not be perfect, some words can be completely wrong or not translated at all, but it gives a good idea of what the original text meant to say.

I wouldn't use it if I couldn't check the outcome.

[leahcim132]

I like google translate. I use it frequently when I am doing stuff in French. There are better ways to find foreign words online such as online dictionaries and thesauruses. 

[pxyc]

With Google Translate, I can usually figure out what someone is trying to say from the translation, even if there are a couple confusing parts. Also when I'm the one that needs to translate to another language that I can sort of speak, I know what to do from what it gives me (usually). For example, if I needed to know how to say "he ran" in Spanish (I already know this, just an example), Google Translate might say "el correr", but I know that I have to change the verb to match the subject.

[linguaholic]

@Daedalus

Thanks for providing those funny pictures.

The Chinese Characters in the first picture actually stand for canting (餐厅). It means dining hall/restaurant, just in case you didn't know :=)

[Scottf14]

I frequently use Google Translate in order to get a general idea of what someone is saying to me. My mother uses it quite often to help her learn basic Spanish. She is learning from her sister as well, so that helps clear up the parts that come out non-sensical.

[Dieselfit]

I agree that it isn't the best thing to use when it comes to grammar of the language. But it is good for the general idea and sometimes it's better to ask a friend who knows the language.

[melisapink]

I do quite a lot of work where I have to go on foreign speaking websites. Here I use Google Translate to do my job. I only need to know the basics to navigate around the site and have never had a problem.

The only time that Google Translate does not help me is if the website is run by Flash. I would not expect them to be that great that they would offer this facility right now.

[ashishkashyap25]

Although I have not used it for a considerable time period but all I found from the "Google translate" is that its good, yeah its good and not awesome as sometimes it translate with totally wrong meaning and its subtle sometimes. I think they need to work upon it to make it more dynamic and useful.

All I can say eventually is, its useful as you can download the application and use it anywhere  by just clicking a picture and it will translate in the desired language.

[lillyt]

I love Google translate! It has been helping me study phrases, and sentences from before the time of Bing. Now that I have discovered the android app, I love it even more. I am able to go about and refresh my memory wherever at my convenience right there on my cellphone.

[MyDigitalpoint]

Google translate has improved since this service was launched, but it's still very bad in grammatical construction.

A native language speaker can easily pick those obvious errors that Google translate makes, and many it is unable to recognize when one same word is a substantive or a verb.

Google translate could be useful as a foundation stone for a second language learner to find the words need to put together a sentence, but yet needing to review grammar and make manual corrections.

[polybus]

I think Google translate can be a useful tool, as long as you are translating into a language you know, and not into one that you are learning. That way you can ignore some of the mistakes, because you know the language, and focus on the other language.

Also Google translate has become a great tool for me to type in another language. If I want to type something in Japanese or Greek or Russian I can use Google translate to do it. I find this awesome since I do not want to install all of these keyboards on my laptop.