Research Guides: International Students Library Handbook: Translation Tools

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by Anne Trenholme Last Updated Oct 1, 2024 399 views this year

Quick Translation Tools

An automated translation is meant to enhance your understanding of the original document, though the quality generally can not match that of a professional translator.

Microsoft Word: On the Review tab, in the Language group, click Translate > Translate Selected Text to open the Research pane.

In the Research pane, in the All Reference Books list, click Translation.

Translate text in a different language

Online Tools

Google Translate
FreeTranslation
FreeTranslation attempts to translate entire phrases, rather than doing word-for-word translation. It's very fast as well.
Babelfish
Babelfish is a free, computerized translation tool.
WIPO Translate
WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) PatentScope Translate is a tool trained specifically to translate patent texts. You can enter your own text and choose a language pair (such as English->French) and a technical domain (such as" chemical & materials technology").

Translation Within Library Resources

Databases published by EBSCO have a translation function when the article is in HTML format.

When you're searching in Academic Search Complete or Business Source Complete (or any of the other EBSCO databases):

Look for HTML in the document results.
Click on the HTML version
Near the top of the new page that displays, choose a language and click "Translate."

The translation is done by software, and may not be 100% accurate, but it is a helpful feature.

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A broad multi-disciplinary database encompassing areas in art, science, and humanities. Includes full-text, plus indexing and abstracts for monographs, reports, conference proceedings, and other publications.
Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Go-to database for articles (academic, peer-reviewed, magazines, trade literature, newspapers), case studies, interviews, SWOT reports, and more. Controlled language hyperlinks generate excellent results. Save time & organize your work with features (save to folders, cite, share, export, create notes, and links). 80+ other database subjects on same platform for depth andease of cross-research areas. Create “My Research” account to save documents.

Add Languages on Your Computer

In Control Panel, click "Clock, Language, and Region," and then click "Add a language." Under "Add a language," choose a language from the list and click "Add."