What are your thoughts on google translate?

[pandandesign]

I think that Google Translate is decent enough to roughly translate the chosen language, but sometimes it translates the words so literally, and we all know that words aren't always what they literally mean, especially when used as a sentence, so that's when the error in translating starts. But overall, it does a moderately good job of translating.

I agree. The google translate is good enough to get most of the translation done correctly, but it does have its flaw. It sometimes changes the meaning of a sentence, which I have to revise it to make it more sense.

[mccanono]

I think it's great!

But like others would say, it's not perfect. Nevertheless, it is very helpful especially if you are visiting a website that is in a foreign language to you. Even if Google Translate would not make a good translation, at least you would have an idea on what the page is about.

[pipps]

Google translate is a good tool that is free to use, which is great. But it does have some major flaws and faults and should never be used for academic reasons. As I have learnt from experience...

[Dame6089]

I'm sure it would come in handy in a foreign country if you can;t speak the language at all. I wouldn't try to use it for formal writing or conversation though. There are tons of errors.

[pipps]

I'm not even sure it would work if you wanted it for help when you travelled somewhere. I don't know if I would like to try it just because it seems to have so many errors. If you were desperate though, it could probably help you.

[petesede]

I use google translate all the time.  I think it is really useful for short sentences because it does fairly decent job of putting meaning to weird sounding phrases.  Like if you know two words, but you see them together and it makes no sense, Google usually gives you the real meaning of that phrase.

One thing I did notice is Google is sometimes HORRIBLE about negative sentences.  I´ve translated my own articles and noticed Google either added or deleted a ´no´  or ´not´ which obviously completely changes the meaning of the sentence.  I have no idea why they do it, but it occurs frequently enough that I now look for it.

[ollie]

I use it for single words, but for phrases and sentences, it can get really, really wonky.

[jcannon]

I think it's only a matter of time before Google has an app where you use Google translate, hook in some earbuds, and as another person speaks to you, it translates it into your language -- right into your ear! Maybe even also providing you with a text version, in case you mishear.

Also consider how great of a learning tool it would be if you heard the, say, English version in your ear - but your phone showed you the origin language properly on the phone! I think we'd learn languages so much quicker with a tool like this. And, knowing Google, it's probably already in the works.

[chiller]

It's not perfect, but I think it comes in handy when you need to quickly figure out how to say something. Also, if you have some skills/knowledge of that language, you can tweak the translation and make it work. So all in all, I'm all for it!

I second that. It cannot be totally trusted but it's useful, especially if you have a basic knowledge of the language you're trying to translate. It's a tool, not a solution.

[polaroidsredwine]

I only use Google translate on words, rarely sentences.  It's difficult to make it a perfect translation tool, what with all the nuances in various languages.  I agree that it's best as a helpful tool, not as the be-all end-all answer for translation issues.

[sophiaseo]

I think that Google Translate is not helpful in learning a new language. Many times, the translations are too formal and do not make sense in everyday conversation. When I did not really know how to speak or write Korean, I used to use Google Translate to aid me, but when my mom checked my work, she did not know what I was talking about. So, I checked and put the Korean translated to English, and it did not make sense at all. That is why I do not use Google Translate to make sentences anymore.

[Amalia]

NO! I think it's cr*p. I am sorry but google translate never helped me or other persons I've seen using it. It's not accurate and it's not an actual dictionary. For the little things, yes, ok, people can use it, like to find out how to say 'i love you' in a foreign language. I am not sure they got them all right though...

[Hedonologist]

It certainly gives you a good enough gist of the text to be able to understand what is being written, I think that's all you can ask of it really. Of course there will be errors but for a free service I think it's very good.

[zackeymane]

It's definitely not perfect. Especially with more obscure languages. It's okay for languages that are close in relation to English, though.

[lizbeth19hph]

I don't think google translate is that reliable though The translation at times loses the meaning of the phrases or sentences and/or just literally translates one language to another. When I ask my foreign friends if the translation is correct in their native language there are some errors.

[Omnispeak]

I had started using Google Translate some time ago but found a lot of mistakes in the translation. Then I switched over to Bing Translator and found to my pleasant surprise that it had fewer mistakes. Since then I have stuck with Bing Translator.

[Amalia]

One of my work mates tried to find an equivalent for a foreign expression on google translate. She needed it in a discussion with one of our clients. Translate got it so wrong that we lost the client. I rest my case.

[PSLoveCharli]

I do not care for google translate. I think there should be an update to that website/app because there have been some falsely translations when using.

[pandandesign]

I do not care for google translate. I think there should be an update to that website/app because there have been some falsely translations when using.

Yes, I am with you. I don't trust Google Translate that much. What other tradition website do you recommend?

[Channa]

No Free translation site or application are good, but that's my opinion. I've tested translation sites such as Google Translate with languages I know to find the accuracy of the translation and although there might be the rare occasion when the translation is correct, more often than not, there are huge errors which makes the translation hard to understand.

The only worthy translation sites that are worthy of being used are those you need to pay for. They maintain a higher standard when it comes to translation.

Its great! Because i can talk to my Spanish speaking friend, on fb. i type in what they say.

[broknkyboard]

It comes in handy when you need one or two single words, but the whole thing quickly falls apart if you try to translate a phrase that's even slightly complex. I've also seen a few funny instances when trying out things in Arabic (for some reason 'super man' used to translate to 'Pikachu', I have no idea why).

[Astdua]

For a single quick spell-check or a quick translate of a word or two, it is the most reliable tool around, however for more serious and major translations no online translator is at that level, simple as that. You know one of those times when you know a word, and you know how to spell perhaps 90% of it, and you just can't for the life of you figure how to properly correct it, that's when I would be using such a tool. But then again, I don't focus enough, so that just might be me being lazy.

[Expressionism]

It's obviously not really very good. Languages aren't mirrored 100%, so phrases may be parsed incorrectly or words/phrases that have a metaphorical meaning may end up being translated literally. If you're reading a piece of text and it's lacking a comma that would make all the difference, for example, you as the reader can figure it out, whereas a computer will just translate it as is and get the actual meaning wrong. It obviously sounds very artificial and not indicated for a classroom setting. Plus, if you're relying on Google Translate to translate your homework answers, you're not practising. Even if you just use it to double-check answers, you'll end up learning things wrong or getting confused.

That said, I think it can be helpful sometimes, like when you want to read what a foreign friend said in a blog post or get an idea of what an interesting news article in a language you don't know says. That kind of stuff where it won't impair your learning and it's not really that important to get specific things right, just the general meaning.

[rosacrux]

I think Google Translate is a great tool if want to translate a text from a language you do not have any idea about. I use it to translate documents in German or Japanese. I would use it for serious purposes.

[melaniephenderson]

Google translate is great for translating a couple of words or a short phrase, but for anything longer than a sentence the whole meaning becomes completely jumbled. Languages are extremely complex and they don't have a direct translation to another language or sometimes there just isn't a word that means the same thing. For a free tool I think it's not too bad, however I wouldn't use it for anything for than a quick check of a couple of words.