Using Google’s Tools for Your Genealogy Research - Part 4, Translated Search
Family history researchers often find themselves in need of translation resources. The Google Translate service offers a collection of free translation tools that can prove useful to genealogy and family history researchers.
For years, the Google search engine has had a Language Tools section that allowed search engine users to perform some translation tasks, such as translating a chunk of text, or translating a Web page by submitting the Web page URL. The Google Translate service retains those capabilities on the Text and Web tab at the top of the Google Translate page, and also adds some more useful features.
The chief new aspect available with Google Translate is the “translate as you search” feature. You can give it a try at the Google Translate site. First choose your language (the choices are English, French, German, Spanish, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, Russian, Dutch, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional).
Next, choose the language of Web pages that you’d like to search (the choices are French, German, Spanish, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, Russian, Dutch, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional).
The final step is to fill in a search term in the search box, and then click on the “Translate and Search” button. The translated search results will appear side by side with the search results in the original language.
Check the other tabs at the top of the Google Translate page, too. There is a Dictionary feature, that offers word-by-word translation to and from English and other languages (English to French, French to English, and so on.) The Tools tab at Google Translate lists a series of translation tools that are available for users of the Google Toolbar.
For more information on using Google for genealogy research, check our previous articles, here, here, and here.
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