Translation checker

Opens one sentence in Google Translate, DeepL, Papago, Bing and Yandex at once, and translates in the page through a free public API with a back-translation check. Unlike the other tools here, it sends the text you enter to outside services.

How to use

1. Enter the text and choose the "Source language"; for languages written in Latin letters, choose it yourself rather than relying on detection.
2. Tick one or more "Target languages".
3. Press "Make links": each language gets translator buttons that open the text in a new tab.
4. Press "Translate" to translate in the page; each result shows a back-translation and its match with the original.
5. In the settings, turn off the back-translation or choose a pivot language to compare a chained translation with the direct one.

How it works

• In-page translation uses the MyMemory public API, which has a free daily limit; an email in the settings raises it. Your own LibreTranslate server can be used instead.
• The back-translation match is the share of letters that agree with the original. Above 80% the meaning is mostly kept; below 50% doubt the translation.
• Chaining through a middle language usually loses meaning at every step; it is included only as an experiment.
• The text you enter is sent to the chosen service. Do not enter personal or confidential text.

Questions and answers

Is translating through several languages, such as Chinese → English → Japanese → Korean, more accurate?

No. Each step changes the meaning a little, so a chain is usually worse. Comparing translators side by side and checking with a back-translation is what helps.

The translations differ a lot between services.

Split the text into short, simple sentences, use names instead of pronouns and avoid idioms. Start with the sentences whose back-translation match is lowest.

Can I translate into Latin American Spanish?

In-page translation requests Mexican Spanish. The outside links mostly open a single Spanish, so regional wording has to be checked in the result.

Translation fails with an error.

The daily limit may be used up or the service may be slow. Try again later, add an email in the settings, or use the "Open in translators" links.