Bing Translator
bing.com
Bing Translator is a simple translation tool powered by Microsoft, which offers translation of more than 65 languages, including Arabic, Catalan, Chinese and Estonian. The free version of the service allows up to 5000 characters, which is more than enough to find out basic sentences to get started in another language.
One of the best features of Bing Translator that I discovered was the ability to not only play back translations to find out how to pronounce words and phrases but also the option to select which dialect of the language you hear it in. For example, when listening to a Spanish translation, you can choose between Spanish from Spain or from Mexico, while with Portuguese there is the choice between Portugal and Brazil. This provides greater insight into speaking a language as it considers the varying accents that you may encounter. English had as many as five different choices, including British, American, Canadian, Australian and Indian.
Another good feature is the ‘Conversation’ tool, which allows users to log-in and start having conversations with people from all around the world. You simply have to type your message in your own language and Bing Translator will do the rest by converting it into the target language. This means that you could be having a conversation about life in Beijing with a Chinese man who doesn’t speak a word of English.
That being said, the accuracy in translations for Bing is not always the best. Unlike Google Translate, Bing does not offer information of translations that have been approved by a community of language experts, meaning it is difficult to know how reliable a translation really is.
I am a professional travel writer and travel enthusiast who traveled the world twice, so I am sharing my firsthand knowledge about everything related to travel and spending time abroad.
- 5000 characters for free
- Offers playback of words and phrases in a variety of different accents
- Conversation tool allows users to have conversations with people in 65 languages
- No indication of approved translations