Any person, regardless of who he works and what he does, from time to time needs to translate text from a foreign language. Not so long ago, this required flipping through voluminous dictionaries and wasting a lot of time. With the advent of the Internet, there is no longer any need to buy dictionaries, because it has become possible to download translators for free to your computer or laptop.
Naturally, translations made with the help of programs are not able to compare with translations made by a person. However, if you configure the utility correctly, you can achieve a fairly clear translation. Every day, translators from Russian into English are gaining more and more popularity.
Information that is online is not always available in Russian. Russian-language sites make up only a small share of the Internet. In the end, every user encounters foreign sites. And if you have difficulty understanding, then you need to download free translators for Windows 7, 8, 10, Vista, XP. Usually such software is classified as business programs, but from us you can download them absolutely free.
All translators work approximately according to the same scheme. A specific word or text is entered into the input field, the translator looks for it in the dictionary and displays the translation on the screen, and the user can select the most optimal option from several proposed ones. So far, translations are not performed professionally, but technologies are already being developed that will greatly improve the quality of translation. It is very easy to download the translator, just select the desired program on our website and click on the download link.
Our resource features English translators who can perform instant translation when you hover over an unfamiliar word when reading a book or news on the Internet. This is very convenient and saves your time significantly.
If you do not always have access to the network, then you need to download translators that work without the Internet. Such programs download a complete set of dictionaries to your computer, which allows you to perform translations at any time and anywhere. After all, even if you know a foreign language well, you may still encounter narrowly focused terms or expressions that cannot be translated without a dictionary.
There are many expensive dictionaries and translators on the Internet, but we advise you to download free English-Russian translators, because they are not much inferior to their paid counterparts. Moreover, even the most expensive translation programs are not able to achieve an ideal result.
We offer you a variety of text translation programs to download for free. Each utility has a detailed description and comments from users who have already used the program. We have collected both regular translators and those for specific professions. Each of them has:
Multi-language support;
Availability of highly specialized and technical dictionaries;
Visual and audio elements of translation;
Huge vocabulary base;
Latest functionality;
Possibility to download translators in Russian.
If you often do translations, study, you should download the translator for free to your computer. With its help, you can even use dictionaries in the desired language offline. Let's look at the most popular programs that you can install on your Windows if necessary.
It is worth noting right away that there is not very much such software on the network. More and more users prefer online services that can be used at any time from their phone. So many developers focus their activities more specifically on mobile software. But don’t despair, such programs still exist, and they work efficiently, without interruptions, and produce correct and competent translations.
PROMT
I would like to start the review with this translator. It has been working for a very long time and can quickly translate texts from Russian into English and vice versa. If desired, you can use applications for smartphones on Android, Apple gadgets and Windows Phone.
It integrates well with different systems, there is a function for using cloud technologies. You can download the demo version for free on your computer, even with Windows 10, to evaluate all the features. He can translate:
- documents and files.pdf, .docx and others;
- website pages;
- SMS in different messengers (Skype, ICQ, etc.);
- various content of a narrow specialization (if the necessary dictionaries are loaded).
Free program, suitable for all platforms (for Windows 7, 8 and others, for Linux). Supports many dictionary formats, for example, files from StarDict, Babylon .BGL.
This translator considered a leader in this field. Any user who has encountered translations and learning a foreign language knows about this product. It allows you to install additional dictionaries in addition to those already included in the kit.
If desired, you can install the smartphone application from Yandex and use it without the Internet. This version will have approximately two hundred dictionaries for twenty languages.
Many dictionary databases have been developed for the ABBYY Lingvo format, for example, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary. They are freely available on the Internet.
Is it worth downloading the translator to your home computer for free? Worth it if it's TranslateIt!
Simple and affordable program, which perfectly translates words and sentences. To do this, you just need to hover the cursor or select the corresponding text fragment. Free for Windows.
Famous product, which supports 25 dictionaries and 13 languages in the standard version. You can download and install up to 1600 dictionaries and 70 different languages.
This utility translates any text into various languages. Several options are available: enter the desired text in a specially designated field, select the direction of translation, or simply select the desired area and press the Ctrl+Alt combination. After some time, a small window with the result will appear.
The product operates using the special technology of the Google Translate service, and this is where the result comes from. This way, developers were able to reduce the size of the application and save a large amount of disk space. Thanks to this, you can install the service on a PC with low-capacity hard drives. Works great on a computer with Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP.
Free simple service, with which you can easily get a translation when you hover your mouse over the desired object. The translation immediately appears in the tooltip, so you can save time when reading foreign texts. Makes it easy to chat, read instructions, help, view online pages, and work online.
By default, NeoDic is installed with 3 dictionaries: English-Russian, Russian-English and English-Ukrainian (technical). If desired, you can add new language features and thematic vocabulary collections. All this can be downloaded from the profile resource. An extensive vocabulary base will allow you to translate content of any complexity.
Offline translator for computer. Can translate any text files. Operates on Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 operating systems. The dictionary database contains more than 103 languages.
As you can see, you can download the translator to your computer for free. Use one of the apps featured in this review and save time and effort with the features available.
For those who professionally translate from foreign languages, there is Abbyy Lingvo. Those who constantly encounter foreign language texts that need to be quickly processed and generally understood use Promt machine translation systems. And if you need to turn to a translator only from time to time to get an interpretation of an unfamiliar word in the text or to roughly understand what is being said on a Chinese website, then contextual translators are irreplaceable. These small programs are convenient because they are always at hand and are ready to provide translation upon request.
Contextual translators did not appear yesterday or the day before. But with the penetration of the Internet into the masses, they have completely changed. Previously, these were applications consisting of a software module and dictionaries. Some dictionaries were supplied with the program; additional ones often had to be downloaded separately. An overview of such applications - “Polyglot prompters or something about contextual translators" - can be found in the archive of our website for 2007. But if you try to follow the links provided in the article, you will see that almost all the programs over these five years have ceased to exist or have been abandoned.
When broadband Internet appeared in every home, it became much more convenient to use online translation services, and with them new contextual translators appeared. They no longer store dictionaries on your hard drive, and you don't need to download anything other than a software shell to run them. As soon as the user makes a request, the application searches for a translation on one of the popular web services and displays the result in its window. Of course, this approach requires a constant connection to the Internet, but who doesn’t have one now?
⇡ Client for Google Translate 6.0
- Developer: TranslateClient
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free (paid version available)
- Russian interface: yes
For several years, this program has been for many the best solution for quickly translating words and texts. Instead of opening the translate.google.com page in your browser, you could use this extremely simple utility. It could be insert text for translation directly into its window or, alternatively, copy the characters and click on the Client for Google Translate icon in the tray. In the latter case, the translation was displayed in the cursor area, so there was no need to even switch between windows.
In mid-2011, Google changed the terms of provision of the API of its Google Translate service - developers who use the service engine in their products were asked to purchase a license costing $20 per million characters. After this innovation, the Microsoft Bing engine was added to the free version of the program, and translation using Google Translate began to be offered in the Pro version (along with the ability to connect dictionaries and some other functions). However, in November last year, this shop also closed. Changes to the Bing API policy provide for free use of the service only within 4 million characters per month. To expand the limit, you need to pay $10 per million characters.
From the moment the restriction was introduced by Microsoft, the development of the program slowed down. Client for Google Translate now only works during the first days of the month until users of the program reach the limit from Microsoft (a quota of 4 million characters is provided for everyone). After this, instead of translation, you can see the bleak message Microsoft Translator is over the quota. Try again later or switch to Google Translate. It’s clear that you can buy the Pro version, but compared to free alternative applications, the once very popular Client for Google Translate seems like a dead project.
⇡ QTranslate 4.1
- Developer: QuestSoft
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free
- Russian interface: yes
It is completely unclear how the developers of QTranslate managed to do this, but this free program works with translation via Google, Bing, and several other popular services: Yandex, Promt, Babylon, SDL. If desired, any of the services and supported translation languages can be disabled.
The program's interface is minimalist, but at the same time it has everything you need for quick translation: neat tabs with service names are located at the bottom, there are two fields for text, as well as a panel using which you can select the direction of translation, quickly change languages, clear fields. Clicking on the headphones in the text input fields turns on the text.
In order to quickly translate a word or a couple of sentences, you don’t even have to be distracted by switching to the program window. Simply copy the text to your clipboard and a QTranslate icon will appear next to your cursor. Clicking on it will display a pop-up window with the completed translation. Despite its tiny size, it also contains several useful commands. So, with one click you can try to translate a fragment using any other supported translation system, replace the source text with the resulting translation, listen to how it should be pronounced, and copy it to the clipboard.
QTranslate can also be used to search for unfamiliar terms in dictionaries. If you select not a quick translation in the pop-up window, but open a dictionary window, you can find out what Wikipedia, Definr, ImTranslator, Google search and other services know about the searched word.
To access web resources, you can configure the use of a proxy server, as well as set a timeout time.
By the way, if a quick translation is not needed, the program icon can be easily disabled in the settings. Conversely, it is possible to quickly display the translation immediately when selecting text. In general, whatever you like. In addition, the program can display translation tools in the cursor area when you press predefined key combinations (default is Ctrl+Q). In the settings, exceptions are specified - applications in which QTranslate will not work. You can also enable translation of interface elements: just move the cursor to the desired inscription, press CTRL+Q - and the translation will appear in a pop-up window.
The program remembers the translation history and allows you to save it as an HTML file. In addition to the basic functions, QTranslate also offers a virtual keyboard with support for about thirty languages.
⇡ Dicter 3.32
- Developer: Dicter
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free
- Russian interface: yes
Dicter is one of the simplest programs for translating texts. There are practically no settings in it; you can only change the hot keys for calling up the translator window, the font size and autorun settings with Windows. Contextual translation is performed using a keyboard shortcut (by default, pressing the left CTRL and ALT keys simultaneously), or you can select the text and click on the Dicter icon in the system tray. By default, the program window appears in a simplified mode, when only the translation is shown, it is possible to change its direction, listen to the finished text, edit it and copy it to the clipboard. If you switch to the extended window mode, a field with the original will also appear.
To receive a translation, Dicter uses the Google Translate service, but there are no restrictions on translation in the program. Perhaps developers cover their costs for purchasing the right to use the API due to the fact that the installer with default settings installs an advertising module for services from Yandex (be careful when installing and do not forget to uncheck all the boxes!).
⇡ Google Translate Desktop 2.1
- Developer: AthTek Software
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free (ads included)
- Russian interface: no
As you can guess from the name, Google Translate Desktop also uses the Google Translate engine to work. The program is free, but supported by advertising - be prepared for the constant flickering of the flash banner at the top of the window. However, if Flash Player from Adobe is not yet installed on your system, instead of a banner you will see just an empty window. The program does not require installation and is ready to work immediately after running the ggtranslate.exe file.
Google Translate Desktop does not support translation using hotkeys, but it monitors the contents of the clipboard. That is, as soon as you press CTRL+C or copy text to the clipboard in another way, it immediately appears in the translator window.
The original language is detected automatically, but you can also hardcode it in the settings. The translation language is also specified in the settings, and here the program lacks flexibility. If, for example, the user wants to make a translation not in the usual direction (for example, Russian → English), but in the opposite direction (English → Russian), it will not be possible to receive it automatically, since the program will try to translate from English to English and will get stuck at this point. The button for quickly changing the direction of translation will not always help - if the source language is detected automatically, the button is inactive. You have to manually select a language from a long list.
The program window also has buttons for speaking text (translated only), copying results to the clipboard, and clearing the window of text. The results can be saved as a text file. It is also worth paying attention to the input line at the top of the page. By entering the site address here, you can quickly get a translation of the web page (it opens in the browser).
⇡ Lingoes 2.8.1
- Developer: Lingoes Project
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free
- Russian interface: yes
It’s not easy to break through the advertising blocks on the Lingoes website, which instead of a translator slip installers of completely different programs. But when you do succeed, you will be rewarded. Lingoes is one of the most functional free systems for quick translation, and in the program itself, unlike the website, there are no advertisements.
The program supports thirteen (!) translation services, including the ubiquitous Google Translate, Yahoo, SYSTRAN, Microsoft Translator and others. Translation can be performed either in the program window (to do this, just go to the “Text Translation” section) or in a pop-up window.
Depending on your preferences, you can choose to have a pop-up window appear when you copy text to the clipboard, when you highlight it, or when you hover over a word. At the same time, the program’s reaction is easily customizable: when translation of selected text is enabled, you can set exceptions, and when translation is active by hovering over a word, you can specify what additional actions need to be performed for the program to translate it (for example, right-clicking the mouse and pressing the Ctrl key). By default, this function is enabled to ignore numbers, but you can also ask the utility to ignore Latin, Cyrillic or other characters.
Hot keys are also fully supported - with their help you can not only open the translation window, but also, for example, read out the text. In the program settings, you can select the translation service that will be used by default, set the first and second target languages (the second will be used if the source language matches the target language).
Lingoes has built-in not only translation using online services, but also an incredible number of different capabilities. Because of them, the program interface looks overloaded, but if you need a calculator, currency converter, periodic table, unit converter, international telephone codes, a list of irregular English verbs or information about the current time in different countries, know that Lingoes has it all .
⇡ Conclusion
For a translator, especially one that is positioned as a solution for quick translation, the most important things are speed, an uncluttered interface, and ease of call. In all three respects, it seems to us, QTranslate has no equal. Despite the fact that, for example, Lingoes has many more settings that describe the appearance of a translation window, there is no such convenient option as in QTranslate. An unobtrusive icon that appears when text is selected and automatically disappears if the user does not access it, this is much more convenient than a translation pop-up window constantly appearing on the screen. However, it all depends on how intensively you use the translator. Both Lingoes and Dicter also seemed to us to be very worthy programs.
This article contains programs (translation memory programs, electronic dictionaries, programs for text recognition, programs for calculating statistics, programs for localizing applications, programs for translating websites, other programs for translators), including free ones, which allow you to translate more texts in less time. Brief descriptions of these programs are also given with links to primary sources for downloading and installation. We hope that you will find something useful for yourself here.
TRANSLATION MEMORY PROGRAMS
Translation memory (translation memory, translation memory) - programs that allow you to “not translate the same thing twice.” These are databases that contain previously translated text units. If a new text contains a unit that is already in the database, the system automatically adds it to the translation. Such programs significantly save the translator’s time, especially if he works with similar texts.
Trados. At the time of writing, Translation memory is one of the most popular programs. Allows you to work with MS Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, HTML documents and other file formats. Trados has a module for maintaining glossaries. Website: http://www.translationzone.com/trados.html
Déjà Vu. Also one of the leaders in popularity. Allows you to work with documents in almost all popular formats. There are separate versions of the program for freelance translators and for translation agencies. Website: http://www.atril.com/
OmegaT. Supports a large number of popular formats, but documents in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint need to be converted to other formats. A nice feature: the program is free. Website: http://www.omegat.org/
MetaTexis. Allows you to work with documents of the main popular formats. There are two versions of the program available - a module for MS Word and a server program. Website: http://www.metatexis.com/
MemoQ. The functionality is similar to Trados and Déjà Vu, the cost of the program (at the time of writing) is lower than that of more popular systems. Website: http://kilgray.com/
Star Transit. Designed for translation and localization. Currently only compatible with Windows OS. Website: http://www.star-group.net/DEU/group-transit-nxt/transit.html
WordFisher. Free Translation Memory system created and maintained by a professional translator. Website: http://www.wordfisher.com/
Across. There are 4 different versions of the program available, differing in the scope of functionality. Website: http://www.across.net/us/translation-memory.aspx
Catnip. A free program, the “successor” of the MT2007 program. Website: http://mt2007-cat.ru/catnip/
ELECTRONIC DICTIONARIES
Here we presented only electronic dictionaries for offline operation (without Internet access). There are much more online dictionaries; a separate article will be devoted to them. Although the Internet has penetrated to the most remote corners of the planet, it is useful to have at least 1 dictionary for working offline. We reviewed dictionaries for professional use; phrase books and dictionaries for language learners were not included here.
ABBYY Lingvo. Currently allows you to translate from 15 languages. There are several versions of the program with different sizes of dictionaries. There is a version for mobile devices. The paid version of the dictionary is installed on a computer and can work without an Internet connection; the free version is only available online. The program is compatible with Windows, Symbian, Mac OS X, iOS, Android. Website: http://www.lingvo.ru/
Multitran. Not everyone knows that there is an offline version of this popular dictionary. Can be installed on computers (desktop and pocket-sized), smartphones. Works with Windows, Symbian and Android, as well as Linux (via browser). Currently allows you to translate from/to 13 languages. Website: http://www.multitran.ru/c/m.exe
Promt. This program has versions for professional use. The advantage of Promt is that it allows you to work together with Trados. Website: http://www.promt.ru/
Slovoed. Can translate from/to 14 languages. Installs on desktop computers and laptops, mobile devices and Amazon Kindle readers. Works with operating systems iOS, Android, Windows, Symbian, BlackBerry, bada, Tizen. The dictionary has several versions, including highly specialized thematic dictionaries. Website: http://www.slovoed.ru/
PROGRAMS FOR TEXT RECOGNITION
ABBYY FineReader. Recognizes text in photographs, scans, and PDF documents. The latest (at the time of writing) version recognizes text in 190 languages, and does a spell check for 48 of them. You can save the resulting text in almost all popular formats (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, html, etc.) Website: http://www.abbyy.ru/finereader/
CuneiForm(OpenOCR). The program was created as a commercial product, but is currently distributed freely. Compatible with Linux, Mac OS X, Windows operating systems. Website: http://openocr.org/
PROGRAMS FOR CALCULATING STATISTICS
Translator's Abacus is a free program for counting the number of words in documents of various types. Website: http://www.globalrendering.com/
AnyCount– a paid program with a large number of settings. For example, you can count the number of characters with or without spaces, the number of words, lines, pages, or set the counting unit yourself. Website: http://www.anycount.com/
FineCount– the program is available in two versions, paid and free, which differ in the scope of functions. Website: http://www.tilti.com/
PROGRAMS FOR APPLICATION LOCALIZATION
PROGRAMS FOR SITE TRANSLATION
OTHER PROGRAMS FOR TRANSLATORS
ApSIC Comparator– a program for comparing files (source text VS text with changes made by the translator). Website.
It is not always possible to use online translators or paper dictionaries. If you often come across foreign text that requires processing, we recommend using special software. Today we will look at a small list of the most suitable programs used for translation.
The first representative is a universal reference book, the main task of which is to search for given words. By default, several dictionaries are already installed, but they are not enough. Therefore, you can download the ones offered from the official website, use their online versions, or upload your own. This can be conveniently configured in the provided menu.
There is a built-in announcer that will pronounce the selected word; its configuration is carried out in the menu. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the presence of built-in applications, including a currency converter and international codes for mobile phone numbers.
Screen Translator
Screen Translator is a simple but useful program that doesn't require you to type text into lines to get results. Everything is done much easier - you just configure the necessary parameters and start using it. Just select an area on the screen to get an instant translation. Just keep in mind that this process is carried out using the Internet, so its presence is required.
Babylon
This program will help you not only translate text, but also get information about the meaning of a certain word. This is done thanks to the built-in dictionary, which does not require an Internet connection to process the data. In addition, it is also used for translation, which will also allow this to be done without access to the network. Stable expressions are processed correctly.
It is worth paying special attention to the processing of web pages and text documents. This allows you to significantly speed up the process. You just need to specify the path or address, select languages and wait for the program to complete.
PROMT Professional
This representative offers a number of built-in dictionaries and their electronic versions for the computer. If necessary, download the directory from the official website; the built-in installer will help you install it. Additionally, there is integration into text editors, which in some cases allows you to get a translation faster.
Multitran
The most important function here is not implemented very conveniently, since the main emphasis was on dictionaries. Users are left to look for the translation of each word or expression separately. However, they can provide more detailed information that other programs do not provide. This may be information about sentences in which a given word is most often used, or its synonyms.
Pay attention to the list of phrases. The user only needs to type a word and will be presented with a variety of options for using it along with other words. To get more specific information about a colloquial expression or in a specific area, this must be indicated in the window itself.
MemoQ
MemoQ is one of the most convenient programs in this article, as it has a large number of additional functions and tools that make work easier and more enjoyable. Among all, I would like to note the creation of projects and translation of large texts in parts with access to editing directly during processing.
You can place one document and continue to work with it, replace certain words, mark expressions or terms that do not need to be processed, check for errors, and much more. The trial version of the program is available for free and has virtually no restrictions, so it's perfect for getting to know MemoQ.
There are many more software and online services that help users quickly translate text; they cannot all be listed in one article. However, we tried to select the most interesting representatives for you, each of which has its own characteristics and features and can be useful in working with foreign languages.
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