+4 votes
231 views
in Web analysis by (242k points)
reopened
Online translator wanted: alternatives to Google Translate

1 Answer

+5 votes
by (1.6m points)
edited
 
Best answer

LEO
Dict.cc
Linguee
Microsoft Translator
Back
Online translators cannot replace a professional translator
Comparison table of free online translators

image

Online translator wanted: alternatives to Google Translate

The digital universe is increasingly international. On web 2.0, on social media, at work or on vacation, online translators such as Google Translate help us to defend ourselves promptly in other languages. The browser-based online translation tool of the digital colossus has established itself as the most popular solution when it comes to translating terms or phrases on the spot for free. With a dictionary that covers more than a hundred languages ​​and a search mask with a simple design, the Google translator, in continuous development, is a very effective tool to understand other languages, but, beyond this, the web contains options comparable in terms of functionality and mobility. We present them below so that you do not run out of words at the least opportune moment..

Index
  1. LEO
  2. Dict.cc
  3. Linguee
  4. Microsoft Translator
  5. Back
  6. Online translators cannot replace a professional translator
  7. Comparison table of free online translators

LEO

image
LEO, free support with great functionality (Source: https://www.leo.org)

The LEO online dictionary, with around 14 million users, is one of the most popular online translation tools in our country and a solid alternative to Google in terms of vocabulary and usability. In addition to its corresponding mobile application for Android, iOs and Windows Phone , this online translator stands out for a clear interface in which it can be translated to and from nine languages ​​(Spanish, English, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese and Polish). In the case of getting stuck with words of difficult or unknown pronunciation, the dictionary assists the user with a very useful audio reproduction.

Registered users have other extra features, such as an integrable tool in the browser, inflection tables for terms (conjugations and declensions), a search history and participation in the forum , a very active discussion center in which members of the community exchange questions about the translation. In exchange for free registration, LEO even allows you to create your own word repository, provides a phonetic word instructor, and offers free trial language courses ..

Sometimes the dictionary refers to others, such as the Merriam-Webster and Macmillan for English, or to the forum, in case a discussion has started here around the term in question being explored. The search yields a large number of results with their respective examples, even, as in Spanish, differentiating if the use is more common in the American continent or in Spanish territory. However, despite all these undoubted advantages, it is still not capable of translating phrases or entire websites, as other text translators can.

In conclusion : LEO convinces as one of the most practical alternatives to Google due to its simplicity, its functions and its extra offer for registered users, but if you work with exotic languages, you want to translate complex sentences or you need to work offline, this translator online is not the best option..

Advantage Drawbacks
Easy to understand interface Limited variety of languages
Mobile app Does not translate phrases or web pages
Features: pronunciation instructor with option to store your own vocabulary, search history, inflection tables, forum Cannot be used offline
Assistance in the form of audio playback, informational tables and the discussion forum. To access the additional offer you need to register
Language courses (free test) It does not have an integrated search engine
Window with additional information and links to other dictionaries Only possible to translate to and from German

Dict.cc

image
With Dict.cc a great variety of meanings is obtained (Source: https://www.dict.cc/)

Without an appearance as neat as LEO's, Dict.cc encompasses a greater linguistic variety, comprising up to 27 languages , including the two starting languages, English and German . Adding this to the mobile application and the plugin for the browser, Dict.cc thus becomes another online translator at the level of Google Translate that, in addition, allows you to compare solutions with other dictionaries and online portals such as Wikipedia, PONS or Google by clicking the information button (? i?) on the results page. If desired, the words can be downloaded and used offline. Thanks to the collaboration with the LingoClick program , Dict.cc also provides the option to translate individual words directly while browsing the Internet.

The tool, with an astonishing repertoire of synonyms and phrases , is undoubtedly one of the best options considering the wide variety of responses that can be obtained with a simple gesture.

In conclusion : comprehensive and agile, the online dictionary Dict.cc contains a large database to achieve a very accurate translation and has the advantage of being able to be used offline.

Advantage Drawbacks
Wide variety of languages The interface is unclear
Mobile app Does not translate phrases or web pages
Instructor with the option of saving vocabulary, audio reproduction, connection with other dictionaries or encyclopedias. Accessing extra options requires registration
Text files can be used offline (after downloading) It does not have a built-in search engine
Plugins for Windows and Mac OS X You cannot freely choose the language of departure and arrival
Discussion Forum  

Linguee

image
Linguee makes it easy to find the perfect expression by relying on external sources (Source: https://www.linguee.es/)

The Linguee online translator comes to the fore as an intuitive and clean alternative to Google Translate. With a very simple interface and a database of up to 25 languages , the tool provides effective assistance scanning the web in search of the best translation, thus offering, in addition to the definitions from its own dictionary, proposals from external sources . Even without being verified, these approaches can provide a good starting point when searching for the most suitable formulation. In this sense, the advantage of Linguee is that, in addition to offering translations and synonyms, it also has a search for phrases, which allows the words to be contextualized. This makes this online translator a well-founded alternative to Google Translate that also provides variations of more special technical terms.

Linguee can also be used on mobile devices after downloading the corresponding application or offline thanks to the integrated database.

In conclusion : translator and search engine in a single tool, Linguee relates the search term with other pages with similar content. In this sense, this online translator is the winning horse when it comes to finding the best formulation in technical or literary texts.

Advantage Drawbacks
Comprehensive dictionary with many languages Results from external sources are not verified
Mobile app Does not translate phrases or web pages
Integrated search engine (words and phrases) with audio playback You cannot freely choose the language of departure or arrival
Especially suitable for searching technical terms and creative formulations  
Can be used offline  

Microsoft Translator

image
With the multilingual online translator Microsoft Translator, even long sentences and entire websites can be translated (Source: https://www.bing.com/translator)

Hosted in the domain of the Bing search engine, it is from this that the online translation tool Microsoft Translator gets its name as Bing Translator. With a completely ad-free interface, the multinational text translator is capable of translating entire web pages as well as fragments of text of up to 5,000 characters . This competent tool supports 60 languages , surpassing all the others presented so far, including, among these, such exotic variants as the Mexican Querétaro Otomí, the Hmong Daw typical of East Asia or even the Klingon, a fictitious language created for the science series. Star Trek fiction. When it comes to translating sentences or documents, this completely free alternative to Google delivers surprisingly qualitative and comprehensive results, including the most suitable synonyms. And, either by registering or downloading the mobile application, it is also possible to access the live interpreter service for chats , which allows instant multilingual communication. The application also allows you to download separate language packs that can be used offline .

However, if there is one thing in which Microsoft's online translator absolutely surpasses its main rivals, it is in the translation comparator based on Neural Network technology , an equally free additional function that checks the translation of complex terms and phrases more or shorter compared to up to ten different languages (Arabic, Simplified Chinese, German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish) for better accuracy. This function, made possible thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning, examines the context of the word to be reviewed, not only algorithmically within a sentence, but also within the framework of a more complex linguistic recognition, transferring the model of a language to another language, taking into account the grammatical peculiarities of each one. This is how this translation, although obtained by mechanical means, is as close as possible to human reasoning, resulting much more? Organic? than in other machine translation tools.

For the corporate environment, Microsoft Translator also offers a more extensive Business account and, of course, not free.

In conclusion : if what you are looking for is a complete alternative to Google Translate, Microsoft's text translator allows you to go very far, since it is even capable of working with phrases and web pages, it has a huge linguistic repertoire and uses artificial intelligence to achieve particularly accurate translations.

Advantage Drawbacks
Huge variety of languages It does not have a built-in search engine
Can translate phrases and web pages Business plan features require registration
Completely ad-free  
Much more accurate translation thanks to Neural Network (up to 10 languages)  
Live interpreter for chats  
The source and target languages ​​can be freely chosen  
Also available offline  

Back

image
With the Reverso online translator you can not only translate, but also review and correct (Source: http://www.reverso.net/)

Reverso is also a practical and effective online translation tool that can be used as an alternative to Google. In addition to presenting, for each result, example sentences that facilitate understanding and promote learning, the translator also verifies the correct conjugation of the verbs , as well as automatically checks and corrects the spelling , although only for English and French. This makes Reverso a very useful tool for revisions and corrections . Also available as a mobile application, some optional functions, such as the option to save words, the search history or the receipt of additional exemplary phrases, are only accessible after registration, basically free.

If you select the paid web service Reverso Localize, you can also translate and review entire websites, as well as edit documents such as presentations, resumes or contracts. During work and thanks to collaborations with news portals, encyclopedias or image search engines on the Internet , it is possible to consult other external sources, so that a greater context is achieved.

In conclusion : Reverso allows not only to translate, but to review and correct the work, although all functions are only accessed if an account is created on the portal.

Advantage Drawbacks
Mobile app available Little variety of languages ​​available
Spell and grammar check for English and French only Cannot be used offline
Limited basic version Accessing optional features requires registration
Relatively free choice of languages  
Linking with other dictionaries and search engines  

Online translators cannot replace a professional translator

Google Translate is probably the best-known free online translation tool, when, in fact, there are many other tools on the net that also serve as support, both in the workplace and in the personal, when working on all kinds of translations, from words to complete web pages. Even so, users of these types of tools, which can be practical and useful, should not lose sight of the fact that, since these automatic programs are supported by algorithmic analysis functions , the results can be very diverse in terms of quality and accuracy. . This means that even the best and most competent tools cannot completely replace the human touch of a professional translator when examining terms and texts and checking their respective contexts exactly. Depending on the type of text, aspects such as knowledge, experience, general culture and a good intuition regarding the tone, rhythm or context of the formulations are decisive.

In spite of everything and as long as this is taken into account, such as occasional assistance in the office or in everyday life, these alternatives to the Google translator are highly recommended.

Comparison table of free online translators

Tool Languages ​​supported Do you have a mobile application? Browser extensions Does it contain advertising? Offline use
LEO 9 different Android, iOS, Windows Phone Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera Yes No
Dict.cc 27 different Android, iOS Firefox, Chrome Yes Yes
Linguee 25 different Android, iOS Firefox Yes Yes
Microsoft Translator 60 different Android, iOS, Windows, Amazon Microsoft Edge No Yes
Back 9 different Android, iOS Firefox, Chrome, Safari Yes No

...