Google Translate - The Ultimate Tutorial 2023 (2023)

In thisGoogle translator tutorialwe explain everything you need to know about Google's translator app. Whether on the desktop or on the mobile phone, we will demonstrate the respective advantages of both versions, but also the advantages and disadvantages compared to the competition. So stay tuned and watch until the end so you don't miss a fact.

One advantage of online trading is global networking. This offers opportunities, but also brings with it challenges.
One of these challenges of international trade is the language barrier. Although one comes with English in the directB2B Handelalready a long way, but especially in terms of user-friendliness for non-business customers, i.e. in classic B2C trade, it makes sense to offer your shop in other languages. That's why we're going to take a full look at Google Translate in this in-depth episode. First of all, about us - we are eBakery a holisticeCommerce agency, who is very happy to support you with all your online trading and marketing challenges. If you are still missing an expert at your side, please make an appointment directly under this article.

Now let's start thematically with the Google translator - What is that anyway?
As the name suggests, Google Translate translates words, texts and sometimes entire websites from the source language into the desired language. This was introduced by Google back in 2006. This video will demonstrate to you that much more is now possible with it. Incidentally, 133 languages ​​are supported and all of this is free of charge. This makes it useful for everyone everywhere, whether businessman, online retailer, globetrotter or simply on the annual family vacation. But why should it be the Google translator?Here are a few side facts that we will discuss in more detail as the video progresses.

But what do we need in order to be able to use Google Translate?Ultimately, just an internet-enabled device. You are welcome to do the quick test yourself at the same time. Enter “translator” as a Google search in the incognito browser and you will see both the first organic result of the Google translator and thatRich Snippetappear in the SERPs.
Now enter any word you like, such as "online trade" and look for the appropriate language. You can already see that you will receive a translation.This means that the minimum requirement would not even be a Google account. If you want to use the app, you need a mobile iOs or Android device. We will now demonstrate how you install this using an iPhone.You go to your app store as normal and search for "Google Translate". Click on "Load" and enter your password. The app is already loaded and can now be used by you. You will soon see that it is recommended that you log in with a Google account, which has the advantage that the search history, for example, is saved and you can access it at a later time. But that is not obligatory. Now that we're in the app, let's go through the individual input options.

The first is text entry. Here you also select the input language and output language. However, if you do not know this, you can also let the AI ​​work and select "Recognize speech" as the input language. Now you would enter your sentence. Let's take it: "eBakery is a German eCommerce agency for online retailers". The translator recognizes immediately that "eBakery" is a proper name. You could now translate this sentence into any of the languages ​​seen here. Another useful feature is the voice output. You could now have the German as well as the English sentence spoken to you. This can come in handy when travelling. But we have an even better feature for you.But first we come to voice input. It is interesting to see here that an input language must be selected, otherwise the microphone will be grayed out. So we choose German and say our sentence. We now see that the AI ​​reaches its limits when it comes to proper names.
But that's not a bad thing at all, because we can adjust the input ourselves at any time. And we get the same result.Another feature that could be of particular interest to tablet users is handwritten input. To do this, press this pen symbol and write in the black field. As you can see, your handwriting is converted directly into digital text.

Another option would be to translate texts in the area. So posters, street signs or just the translation of a newspaper article.You certainly don't want to type this out. This is where the exclusive advantages of the smartphone app come into play. Sharing the camera.
If you click on the camera symbol, your mobile phone camera will be activated and you can hold it over the desired text. We use a language learning video for Russian so that we have the translation directly above it and can also check it. And as we can see, the Cyrillic letters are translated in real time and are also almost identical to the default translation.

But wouldn't it be awesome if you were a sales representative in a country whose language you absolutely do not speak, but could still communicate your thoughts and concerns. Sort of like you know it from science fiction films, in which the native language is independently translated 1:1 in real time. Well, that is exactly what is now possible with Google Translate. For this you have to click on entertainment. If the input and output language is selected correctly, say what you would like to have communicated and immediately afterwards, without much delay, a voice output will be activated, which will reproduce your sentences in the desired language. Your conversation partner could then do exactly the same and the Google translator would then translate the sentences into German. If you want to push the whole thing even further and not just translate a few sentences, but rather translate a press conference, for example, then there is the “Transcribe” feature. Start it once and Google Translate translates entire monologues and dialogues in real time into the desired language.

So you can see that Google Translate has come a long way since 2006 and that a lot is now possible.I do not have to revise a previous statement of mine, but at least express it in a more differentiated way. As I said, the minimum requirement is an Internet-enabled device. That's partly true. Because Google Translate can now also be used offline.Of course, you first need internet to download the language pack, but you are now in the desert or the deepest jungle and have no network, but would have to rely on the translator for communication, then that would no longer be a problem, provided you have a good time prepared.To implement this, look in the language selection and there you will see this download symbol behind the language. Let's do that for Russian and confirm that we want to download the language pack. It only takes a few seconds and we'll do the test right away and go into flight mode. Before that, however, we will download the German language pack. You can see the flight mode proof in the upper right corner.And you can see that a translation takes place despite the lack of an internet connection. However, it should be expressly stated that only textual translations are possible with the language pack. That means text input and text output. Neither the voice input nor the voice output, as well as all the other features we have just presented, require an internet connection, as this is how the AI ​​is controlled. So keep that in mind.

But how does the app differ from the desktop version. On the one hand, the advantages are that you don't take up any storage space on the desktop and can access it from anywhere, regardless of the device. Since you call up the translator via the browser. But which features are now supported?
Strictly speaking, the desktop version isn't that slimmed down at all. We have the text input, the voice input with a maximum of 5,000 characters, which is not that little, we have the option of uploading images and documents and having them translated and for this we have the option of specifying entire websites as links, which are then transcribed for us. But let's test whether we get the same results with the image upload as on the smartphone. We simply take a screenshot on the PC or Mac and upload it. Lo and behold, a direct translation. The same applies to documents, which you could also photograph with the app and have them translated there.

But the website feature is more interesting. Let's just have the eBakery website translated into French. Perfect. This means that if you order from China again and come to websites that are only written in Mandarin, you can now have them translated into German by simply entering the URL in the translator. Handy right?By the way, if you want to benefit from more practical tips in online trading, then subscribe now.

Which is a good transition to things you should definitely pay attention to when using Google Translate.Because, as in our AI tool series, the input determines the output. If you enter a prompt that is too short and imprecise, the result will only be moderate. It's the same with Google Translate. You should also know in advance how the translator works. For example, your German sentences will not be translated directly into Mandarin, but first into English and then into Mandarin. This also increases the probability of error. Therefore you should note the following things.

So there are a few things to consider in order to generate a good translation.But assuming we pay attention to every point, what are the advantages and disadvantages of Google Translate compared to the competition?
What you have to say compared to the beginning is that the quality has increased significantly. This is characterized, among other things, by the fact that entire sentences can now be translated, which was limited to individual words in the beginning. This has the advantage that we can reproduce grammatically correct sentences instead of just word-for-word translations. On the other hand, the Google translator is free, which is not entirely the case for other providers such as DeepL or LEO. In addition, it is incredibly fast. You've just seen for yourself how fast the real-time translation works.And we're dealing with a wide range of inputs. Whether by keyboard, handwriting/speech or camera input. The big advantage of the app version is that we canne install another keyboard to be able to play Arabic, Cyrillic or other characters.

But in fact there are also disadvantages. Sometimes the translator makes grammatical, stylistic and other errors. In addition, the translation depends heavily on the language combination. This is because in the system's memory there are far more words from English, German and Spanish than from Romanian or Bulgarian. As a result, the translations are often incorrect and of poor quality. Another disadvantage is that after the translation, there is no way to have the translated text additionally checked. Google translator therefore does not offer proofreading. The fact that the translator works publicly is also a disadvantage. Because the translator works publicly, all texts that are entered are stored in the system. So think carefully in advance which texts you want to have translated. Personal data and secret information should therefore not be translated. You have to decide for yourself what is more important to you.

So far we've only covered single use. But just as ChatGPT only unfolded its full potential by linking it to third-party apps, it is also possible to use Google Translate for TripAdvisor, LinkedIn or WhatsApp. Or asPlugin for WordPress.But here there is not one classic Google translator plugin. Instead, there are several providers who provide a connection to Google Translate with their plugin. These include Google Language Translator, Weglot, G Translate and a few others. This allows your entire website to be translated into over 100 different languages. A disadvantage is that you don't have any control over the translations this way. But the biggest disadvantage is that the content is only indexed in the main language of Google. This means that you will not achieve rankings for other languages.So if you are aiming for a search engine optimized strategy, you should get advice from one of our SEO experts.Make an appointment with us directly under the article.

And as a small final tip on our part. Even if you create another language version of your website, you would be advised not to adopt it 1:1 from Google Translate. Not only that you cannot be absolutely certain whether the translation has been successful in the case or not if you do not have language skills, but above all for SEO reasons. Because this could be classified as automatically generated content and thus have a negative effect on your ranking. You can let the translator do most of the work, but then have a native speaker check and lightly rewrite that version.But what is our overall conclusion?

I think it has become clearer that Google Translate has a right to exist in both the private and business sectors.We particularly liked the variety of features. Having entire conversations translated in real time or capturing the text of signs, documents and the like with a camera and then translating it in real time are two very useful features when you are abroad.
The entry hurdle is more than low and can, in principle, be used by anyone. Whether mobile as an app or at home via the browser.And it's all completely free. If you really follow our instructions, useful translations will come out.That's why our recommendation to you is: You have nothing to lose, try it out for yourself and see for yourself.

However, if you have any questions, please let us know in the comments.We'll do our best to answer them there. However, if you want to get advice elsewhere, then we are at your disposal as eCommerce, but explicitly also asGoogle SEO Agencyavailable.

Do you have any questions or need an individual offer? Do not hesitate to contact us.