Google Translate facts for kids
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Google Translate website homepage
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Google Translate is a helpful online tool created by Google. It lets you translate words, documents, and even whole websites from one language to another. You can use it on its website, through a mobile app on Android and iOS phones, or even through special tools for developers. Google Translate started in April 2006. Back then, it used a method called statistical machine translation. This meant it learned how to translate by looking for patterns in millions of already translated documents. It often translated text into English first, and then into your chosen language. In November 2016, Google Translate got a big upgrade! It switched to a new system called neural machine translation. This new system is much smarter. It translates whole sentences at once, not just word by word. This helps it understand the meaning better and make translations sound more natural, almost like a human speaking. Over 500 million people use Google Translate every day. It translates more than 100 billion words daily! Contents
How Google Translate StartedGoogle Translate began in April 2006 as a free online service. It was designed to translate many types of text and media. At first, it used a method called statistical machine translation. This system translated text into English first. Then, it would translate it into the language you wanted. This early method sometimes made mistakes with grammar. This was because languages are always changing! In January 2010, Google launched an Android app for Google Translate. An iOS version followed in February 2011. This made it easy to translate on the go! By February 2010, it was also built into web browsers like Google Chrome. It could even say the translated text out loud. In May 2014, Google bought a company called Word Lens. This helped Google Translate get better at translating text from pictures and spoken words. Now, you can scan text with your phone camera and get an instant translation! In November 2016, Google changed its translation method. It started using a system called neural machine translation. This system uses advanced computer learning to translate full sentences. This makes translations much more accurate, especially between English and languages like French, German, Spanish, and Chinese. By 2018, it was translating over 100 billion words every day! Sadly, in September 2022, Google Translate stopped working in mainland China. Google said this was because not many people were using it there. What Google Translate Can DoGoogle Translate has many cool features to help you understand different languages. It can translate text, speech, and even text found in pictures or videos. Here are some of its main functions:
For most of these features, Google Translate can also say the translation out loud. It can show you dictionary meanings too. Plus, the mobile app lets you translate even when you're offline! Cool Features
Google Translate works hard to give you the best translations. It can translate text, spoken words, websites, and even text in pictures or live videos. For some languages, it can speak the translated text out loud. It can also highlight words that match between the original and translated text. If you're not sure what language something is in, Google Translate can often figure it out automatically! You can also help make translations better by suggesting changes, especially for technical words or mistakes. These suggestions can help Google improve its service for everyone. If you type a website address, Google Translate will give you a link to a translated version of that website. You can also save your favorite translations in a "phrasebook" to use later. For some languages, you can type using an on-screen keyboard, draw words with your finger, or speak into your device. Google Translate can also help you read text in different alphabets. For example, it can change Arabic or Russian words into letters you recognize from the Latin alphabet. If you translate from Japanese to English, it can show you how the words sound. Many popular languages have a "text-to-speech" feature. This means Google Translate can read the text out loud for you. The accent changes depending on the region. For example, English spoken in the Americas often uses a General American accent, while in Europe, it uses a British accent. Using Google Translate in Your BrowserYou can add Google Translate to some web browsers as an extra tool. This lets you translate text on websites easily. Since February 2010, Google Translate has been built into the Google Chrome browser. This means Chrome can automatically offer to translate webpages for you. Google Translate Mobile App
The Google Translate app works on Android and iOS devices. It supports many languages. You can translate 37 languages using photos, 32 languages by voice in "conversation mode," and 27 languages using live video with "augmented reality mode." The Android app came out in January 2010, and the iOS app in February 2011. In January 2011, the Android app added a "Conversation Mode." This feature helps two people speaking different languages talk to each other more easily. The "Camera input" feature lets you take a picture of a document or sign. Google Translate then reads the text in the image and translates it for you. In January 2015, the apps got a cool new ability. They could translate physical signs in real-time using your device's camera! This was thanks to Google buying the Word Lens app. This feature was later called Instant Camera. On May 11, 2016, Google added "Tap to Translate" for Android. Now, if you highlight text in another language in any app, Google Translate will pop up to offer a translation. Google Translate for DevelopersGoogle Translate also has an API. This is a special tool that helps software developers add translation features to their own apps and websites. Google Assistant IntegrationGoogle Translate also works with Google Assistant. This means you can ask your Google Assistant, or devices like Google Nest and Pixel Buds, to translate things for you. Languages You Can TranslateAs of June 2025, Google Translate supports 133 languages.
How Google Translate WorksGoogle Translate uses smart computer programs to do its job. When it first started, it used something called statistical machine translation. This means it looked at huge amounts of text that had already been translated by humans. It found patterns in these texts to guess how to translate new words and sentences. For example, if you translated from French to Russian, Google Translate might first change the French into English. Then it would change the English into Russian. This can sometimes cause small errors because English words can have many meanings. To get all this language data, Google used documents from organizations like the United Nations. These documents are often published in many languages, which is perfect for teaching a translation system. Today, Google Translate mostly uses a newer, more advanced method called neural machine translation. Neural Machine TranslationIn September 2016, Google introduced its new system: Google Neural Machine Translation (GNMT). This system uses a type of artificial intelligence called deep learning. It's much better at translating because it looks at whole sentences at once. This helps it understand the full meaning and create translations that sound more like a human wrote them. GNMT learns from millions of examples. It tries to understand the meaning of a sentence, not just translate word by word. This helps it make translations more natural and grammatically correct. Google says this system learns over time to get even better. This new system was first used for eight languages, including English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish. Over time, it has been added to many more languages. Since 2020, Google has continued to improve its deep learning networks for translation. How Accurate Is It?Google Translate is a very useful tool, but it's not always perfect. It works best when the text is clear, uses formal language, and has simple sentences. For many common languages, it can give you translations that are very close to what a human translator would produce. However, its accuracy can go down if sentences are very long, or if the text uses slang or creative language. For some languages, it might only give you the main idea of the text, not a perfect translation. When you use Google Translate to look up single words, it can sometimes be wrong. This is because many words have multiple meanings. For example, the English word "bank" can mean a place to keep money or the side of a river. Google Translate has to guess which meaning you want. Also, Google Translate sometimes struggles with grammar, especially with how verbs change in different languages. It might also use formal ways of saying "you" when an informal way would be better. The accuracy of Google Translate also depends on the language. Languages with a lot of digital resources and research tend to have better translations. For example, many European languages have high-quality translations because of large collections of professionally translated documents. If a text is very long, Google Translate might have a word limit. For these longer texts, it's better to upload them as a document. Like all automatic translation tools, Google Translate can struggle with words that have many meanings (like "bank") or phrases where the meaning isn't clear from the individual words (like "kick the bucket"). This can sometimes lead to funny or incorrect translations. Translation Mistakes and Funny ErrorsBecause Google Translate uses computer programs to guess translations, it can sometimes make silly or confusing mistakes. It might swap common words for similar ones that don't quite fit. Sometimes, it can even flip the meaning of a sentence! There are even fun websites that use Google Translate to create humorous text. They do this by translating text back and forth between many languages, similar to the game "telephone." See also
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| Users | Over 500 million people daily | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launched | April 28, 2006 (as statistical machine translation) November 15, 2016 (as neural machine translation) |
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Google Translate is a helpful online tool created by Google. It lets you translate words, documents, and even whole websites from one language to another. You can use it on its website, through a mobile app on Android and iOS phones, or even through special tools for developers.
Google Translate started in April 2006. Back then, it used a method called statistical machine translation. This meant it learned how to translate by looking for patterns in millions of already translated documents. It often translated text into English first, and then into your chosen language.
In November 2016, Google Translate got a big upgrade! It switched to a new system called neural machine translation. This new system is much smarter. It translates whole sentences at once, not just word by word. This helps it understand the meaning better and make translations sound more natural, almost like a human speaking.
Over 500 million people use Google Translate every day. It translates more than 100 billion words daily!
How Google Translate Started
Google Translate began in April 2006 as a free online service. It was designed to translate many types of text and media.
At first, it used a method called statistical machine translation. This system translated text into English first. Then, it would translate it into the language you wanted. This early method sometimes made mistakes with grammar. This was because languages are always changing!
In January 2010, Google launched an Android app for Google Translate. An iOS version followed in February 2011. This made it easy to translate on the go! By February 2010, it was also built into web browsers like Google Chrome. It could even say the translated text out loud.
In May 2014, Google bought a company called Word Lens. This helped Google Translate get better at translating text from pictures and spoken words. Now, you can scan text with your phone camera and get an instant translation!
In November 2016, Google changed its translation method. It started using a system called neural machine translation. This system uses advanced computer learning to translate full sentences. This makes translations much more accurate, especially between English and languages like French, German, Spanish, and Chinese. By 2018, it was translating over 100 billion words every day!
Sadly, in September 2022, Google Translate stopped working in mainland China. Google said this was because not many people were using it there.
What Google Translate Can Do
Google Translate has many cool features to help you understand different languages. It can translate text, speech, and even text found in pictures or videos.
Here are some of its main functions:
- Translate Written Words: You can type or paste text, and it will translate it into another language.
- Translate Websites: It can translate an entire webpage into your chosen language.
- Translate Documents: You can upload documents (like .doc, .pdf, .ppt files) and have them translated.
- Translate Speech: Speak into your device, and it will instantly translate what you say into another language.
- Mobile App Translation: In 2018, Google added "Tap to Translate." This lets you translate text inside any app on your phone without leaving that app!
- Translate Images: Take a picture of text (like a sign), and Google Translate will instantly show you the translation on your screen.
- Translate Handwriting: You can write or draw words on your phone screen, and it will translate them.
- Bilingual Conversations: This feature helps two people speaking different languages understand each other in real-time.
- Transcription: It can even write down what someone is saying in different languages.
For most of these features, Google Translate can also say the translation out loud. It can show you dictionary meanings too. Plus, the mobile app lets you translate even when you're offline!
Cool Features
Google Translate works hard to give you the best translations. It can translate text, spoken words, websites, and even text in pictures or live videos. For some languages, it can speak the translated text out loud. It can also highlight words that match between the original and translated text.
If you're not sure what language something is in, Google Translate can often figure it out automatically! You can also help make translations better by suggesting changes, especially for technical words or mistakes. These suggestions can help Google improve its service for everyone.
If you type a website address, Google Translate will give you a link to a translated version of that website. You can also save your favorite translations in a "phrasebook" to use later. For some languages, you can type using an on-screen keyboard, draw words with your finger, or speak into your device.
Google Translate can also help you read text in different alphabets. For example, it can change Arabic or Russian words into letters you recognize from the Latin alphabet. If you translate from Japanese to English, it can show you how the words sound.
Many popular languages have a "text-to-speech" feature. This means Google Translate can read the text out loud for you. The accent changes depending on the region. For example, English spoken in the Americas often uses a General American accent, while in Europe, it uses a British accent.
Using Google Translate in Your Browser
You can add Google Translate to some web browsers as an extra tool. This lets you translate text on websites easily. Since February 2010, Google Translate has been built into the Google Chrome browser. This means Chrome can automatically offer to translate webpages for you.
Google Translate Mobile App
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A screenshot of the Android app of Google Translate
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| Initial release | January 1, 2010 (for Android) February 8, 2011 (for iOS) |
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| Size | 37.44 MB (Android) 177.4 MB (iOS) |
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Google Translate is a helpful online tool created by Google. It lets you translate words, documents, and even whole websites from one language to another. You can use it on its website, through a mobile app on Android and iOS phones, or even through special tools for developers. Google Translate started in April 2006. Back then, it used a method called statistical machine translation. This meant it learned how to translate by looking for patterns in millions of already translated documents. It often translated text into English first, and then into your chosen language. In November 2016, Google Translate got a big upgrade! It switched to a new system called neural machine translation. This new system is much smarter. It translates whole sentences at once, not just word by word. This helps it understand the meaning better and make translations sound more natural, almost like a human speaking. Over 500 million people use Google Translate every day. It translates more than 100 billion words daily! How Google Translate StartedGoogle Translate began in April 2006 as a free online service. It was designed to translate many types of text and media. At first, it used a method called statistical machine translation. This system translated text into English first. Then, it would translate it into the language you wanted. This early method sometimes made mistakes with grammar. This was because languages are always changing! In January 2010, Google launched an Android app for Google Translate. An iOS version followed in February 2011. This made it easy to translate on the go! By February 2010, it was also built into web browsers like Google Chrome. It could even say the translated text out loud. In May 2014, Google bought a company called Word Lens. This helped Google Translate get better at translating text from pictures and spoken words. Now, you can scan text with your phone camera and get an instant translation! In November 2016, Google changed its translation method. It started using a system called neural machine translation. This system uses advanced computer learning to translate full sentences. This makes translations much more accurate, especially between English and languages like French, German, Spanish, and Chinese. By 2018, it was translating over 100 billion words every day! Sadly, in September 2022, Google Translate stopped working in mainland China. Google said this was because not many people were using it there. What Google Translate Can DoGoogle Translate has many cool features to help you understand different languages. It can translate text, speech, and even text found in pictures or videos. Here are some of its main functions:
For most of these features, Google Translate can also say the translation out loud. It can show you dictionary meanings too. Plus, the mobile app lets you translate even when you're offline! Cool Features
Google Translate works hard to give you the best translations. It can translate text, spoken words, websites, and even text in pictures or live videos. For some languages, it can speak the translated text out loud. It can also highlight words that match between the original and translated text. If you're not sure what language something is in, Google Translate can often figure it out automatically! You can also help make translations better by suggesting changes, especially for technical words or mistakes. These suggestions can help Google improve its service for everyone. If you type a website address, Google Translate will give you a link to a translated version of that website. You can also save your favorite translations in a "phrasebook" to use later. For some languages, you can type using an on-screen keyboard, draw words with your finger, or speak into your device. Google Translate can also help you read text in different alphabets. For example, it can change Arabic or Russian words into letters you recognize from the Latin alphabet. If you translate from Japanese to English, it can show you how the words sound. Many popular languages have a "text-to-speech" feature. This means Google Translate can read the text out loud for you. The accent changes depending on the region. For example, English spoken in the Americas often uses a General American accent, while in Europe, it uses a British accent. Using Google Translate in Your BrowserYou can add Google Translate to some web browsers as an extra tool. This lets you translate text on websites easily. Since February 2010, Google Translate has been built into the Google Chrome browser. This means Chrome can automatically offer to translate webpages for you. Google Translate Mobile App
The Google Translate app works on Android and iOS devices. It supports many languages. You can translate 37 languages using photos, 32 languages by voice in "conversation mode," and 27 languages using live video with "augmented reality mode." The Android app came out in January 2010, and the iOS app in February 2011. In January 2011, the Android app added a "Conversation Mode." This feature helps two people speaking different languages talk to each other more easily. The "Camera input" feature lets you take a picture of a document or sign. Google Translate then reads the text in the image and translates it for you. In January 2015, the apps got a cool new ability. They could translate physical signs in real-time using your device's camera! This was thanks to Google buying the Word Lens app. This feature was later called Instant Camera. On May 11, 2016, Google added "Tap to Translate" for Android. Now, if you highlight text in another language in any app, Google Translate will pop up to offer a translation. Google Translate for DevelopersGoogle Translate also has an API. This is a special tool that helps software developers add translation features to their own apps and websites. Google Assistant IntegrationGoogle Translate also works with Google Assistant. This means you can ask your Google Assistant, or devices like Google Nest and Pixel Buds, to translate things for you. Languages You Can TranslateAs of June 2025, Google Translate supports 133 languages.
How Google Translate WorksGoogle Translate uses smart computer programs to do its job. When it first started, it used something called statistical machine translation. This means it looked at huge amounts of text that had already been translated by humans. It found patterns in these texts to guess how to translate new words and sentences. For example, if you translated from French to Russian, Google Translate might first change the French into English. Then it would change the English into Russian. This can sometimes cause small errors because English words can have many meanings. To get all this language data, Google used documents from organizations like the United Nations. These documents are often published in many languages, which is perfect for teaching a translation system. Today, Google Translate mostly uses a newer, more advanced method called neural machine translation. Neural Machine TranslationIn September 2016, Google introduced its new system: Google Neural Machine Translation (GNMT). This system uses a type of artificial intelligence called deep learning. It's much better at translating because it looks at whole sentences at once. This helps it understand the full meaning and create translations that sound more like a human wrote them. GNMT learns from millions of examples. It tries to understand the meaning of a sentence, not just translate word by word. This helps it make translations more natural and grammatically correct. Google says this system learns over time to get even better. This new system was first used for eight languages, including English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish. Over time, it has been added to many more languages. Since 2020, Google has continued to improve its deep learning networks for translation. How Accurate Is It?Google Translate is a very useful tool, but it's not always perfect. It works best when the text is clear, uses formal language, and has simple sentences. For many common languages, it can give you translations that are very close to what a human translator would produce. However, its accuracy can go down if sentences are very long, or if the text uses slang or creative language. For some languages, it might only give you the main idea of the text, not a perfect translation. When you use Google Translate to look up single words, it can sometimes be wrong. This is because many words have multiple meanings. For example, the English word "bank" can mean a place to keep money or the side of a river. Google Translate has to guess which meaning you want. Also, Google Translate sometimes struggles with grammar, especially with how verbs change in different languages. It might also use formal ways of saying "you" when an informal way would be better. The accuracy of Google Translate also depends on the language. Languages with a lot of digital resources and research tend to have better translations. For example, many European languages have high-quality translations because of large collections of professionally translated documents. If a text is very long, Google Translate might have a word limit. For these longer texts, it's better to upload them as a document. Like all automatic translation tools, Google Translate can struggle with words that have many meanings (like "bank") or phrases where the meaning isn't clear from the individual words (like "kick the bucket"). This can sometimes lead to funny or incorrect translations. Translation Mistakes and Funny ErrorsBecause Google Translate uses computer programs to guess translations, it can sometimes make silly or confusing mistakes. It might swap common words for similar ones that don't quite fit. Sometimes, it can even flip the meaning of a sentence! There are even fun websites that use Google Translate to create humorous text. They do this by translating text back and forth between many languages, similar to the game "telephone." See also
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The Google Translate app works on Android and iOS devices. It supports many languages. You can translate 37 languages using photos, 32 languages by voice in "conversation mode," and 27 languages using live video with "augmented reality mode."
The Android app came out in January 2010, and the iOS app in February 2011. In January 2011, the Android app added a "Conversation Mode." This feature helps two people speaking different languages talk to each other more easily.
The "Camera input" feature lets you take a picture of a document or sign. Google Translate then reads the text in the image and translates it for you.
In January 2015, the apps got a cool new ability. They could translate physical signs in real-time using your device's camera! This was thanks to Google buying the Word Lens app. This feature was later called Instant Camera.
On May 11, 2016, Google added "Tap to Translate" for Android. Now, if you highlight text in another language in any app, Google Translate will pop up to offer a translation.
Google Translate for Developers
Google Translate also has an API. This is a special tool that helps software developers add translation features to their own apps and websites.
Google Assistant Integration
Google Translate also works with Google Assistant. This means you can ask your Google Assistant, or devices like Google Nest and Pixel Buds, to translate things for you.
Languages You Can Translate
As of June 2025, Google Translate supports 133 languages.
- Afrikaans
- Albanian
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Armenian
- Assamese
- Aymara
- Azerbaijani
- Bambara
- Basque
- Belarusian
- Bengali
- Bhojpuri
- Bosnian
- Bulgarian
- Burmese (Myanmar)
- Catalan
- Cebuano
- Chewa (Chichewa)
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Corsican
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dogri
- Dutch
- English
- Esperanto
- Estonian
- Ewe
- Finnish
- French
- Galician
- Georgian
- German
- Greek
- Guarani
- Gujarati
- Haitian Creole
- Hausa
- Hawaiian
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hmong
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Igbo
- Ilocano
- Indonesian
- Irish
- Italian
- Japanese
- Javanese
- Kannada
- Kazakh
- Khmer
- Kinyarwanda
- Konkani
- Korean
- Krio
- Kurdish (Kurmanji)
- Kurdish (Sorani)
- Kyrgyz
- Lao
- Latin
- Latvian
- Lingala
- Lithuanian
- Luganda
- Luxembourgish
- Macedonian
- Maithili
- Malagasy
- Malay
- Malayalam
- Maldivian (Dhivehi)
- Maltese
- Māori (Maori)
- Marathi
- Meitei (Manipuri, Meiteilon)
- Mizo
- Mongolian
- Nepali
- Northern Sotho (Sepedi)
- Norwegian (Bokmål)
- Odia (Oriya)
- Oromo
- Pashto
- Persian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Punjabi (Gurmukhi)
- Quechua
- Romanian
- Russian
- Samoan
- Sanskrit
- Scottish Gaelic (Scots Gaelic)
- Serbian
- Shona
- Sindhi
- Sinhala
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Somali
- Sotho (Sesotho)
- Spanish
- Sundanese
- Swahili
- Swedish
- Tagalog (Filipino)
- Tajik
- Tamil
- Tatar
- Telugu
- Thai
- Tigrinya
- Tsonga
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Twi
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Uyghur
- Uzbek
- Vietnamese
- Welsh
- West Frisian (Frisian)
- Xhosa
- Yiddish
- Yoruba
- Zulu
How Google Translate Works
Google Translate uses smart computer programs to do its job. When it first started, it used something called statistical machine translation. This means it looked at huge amounts of text that had already been translated by humans. It found patterns in these texts to guess how to translate new words and sentences.
For example, if you translated from French to Russian, Google Translate might first change the French into English. Then it would change the English into Russian. This can sometimes cause small errors because English words can have many meanings.
To get all this language data, Google used documents from organizations like the United Nations. These documents are often published in many languages, which is perfect for teaching a translation system.
Today, Google Translate mostly uses a newer, more advanced method called neural machine translation.
Neural Machine Translation
In September 2016, Google introduced its new system: Google Neural Machine Translation (GNMT). This system uses a type of artificial intelligence called deep learning. It's much better at translating because it looks at whole sentences at once. This helps it understand the full meaning and create translations that sound more like a human wrote them.
GNMT learns from millions of examples. It tries to understand the meaning of a sentence, not just translate word by word. This helps it make translations more natural and grammatically correct. Google says this system learns over time to get even better.
This new system was first used for eight languages, including English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish. Over time, it has been added to many more languages.
Since 2020, Google has continued to improve its deep learning networks for translation.
How Accurate Is It?
Google Translate is a very useful tool, but it's not always perfect. It works best when the text is clear, uses formal language, and has simple sentences. For many common languages, it can give you translations that are very close to what a human translator would produce.
However, its accuracy can go down if sentences are very long, or if the text uses slang or creative language. For some languages, it might only give you the main idea of the text, not a perfect translation.
When you use Google Translate to look up single words, it can sometimes be wrong. This is because many words have multiple meanings. For example, the English word "bank" can mean a place to keep money or the side of a river. Google Translate has to guess which meaning you want.
Also, Google Translate sometimes struggles with grammar, especially with how verbs change in different languages. It might also use formal ways of saying "you" when an informal way would be better.
The accuracy of Google Translate also depends on the language. Languages with a lot of digital resources and research tend to have better translations. For example, many European languages have high-quality translations because of large collections of professionally translated documents.
If a text is very long, Google Translate might have a word limit. For these longer texts, it's better to upload them as a document.
Like all automatic translation tools, Google Translate can struggle with words that have many meanings (like "bank") or phrases where the meaning isn't clear from the individual words (like "kick the bucket"). This can sometimes lead to funny or incorrect translations.
Translation Mistakes and Funny Errors
Because Google Translate uses computer programs to guess translations, it can sometimes make silly or confusing mistakes. It might swap common words for similar ones that don't quite fit. Sometimes, it can even flip the meaning of a sentence!
There are even fun websites that use Google Translate to create humorous text. They do this by translating text back and forth between many languages, similar to the game "telephone."
See also
In Spanish: Traductor de Google para niños
- Apertium
- DeepL Translator
- Google Dictionary
- Microsoft Translator
- Reverso
- SYSTRAN
- Yandex Translate
