Google translates the search query and the results

Google yesterday added a new feature to their search results, allowing users to instantly translate their search results.

By selecting show options and translated results, Google will automatically detect the language and translate the results accordingly. They’ll even select the most appropriate language for your search query, translate your English search and display translated results from foreign language sites.

Google has admitted that their language detection algorithm still needs refinement, and I found this when I searched for ‘restaurant reviews Zurich’. I was only shown translated results in German, when German, Italian and French are all official languages of Switzerland. But you can always add languages to a search if Google doesn’t pick the right one first time.

I personally think this is a great feature, especially with the huge growth in the amount of user generated content on the web. For owners of sites that rely on user reviews, comments and discussion, to get all that content professionally translated might not be top of their priorities and this tool will open up a whole new audience for them.

However as most people will know by now, machine translation has many pitfalls and has a long way to go before it can truly replace professional human translation. According to Google, one Zurich restaurant reviewer described an Indian restaurant as:

“Atmosphere is hammer. Operation is super. The food, compared to other Indian restaurants good have no curries.”

If you are searching the web for any of the following, I think you’ll find translated search useful:

• Reviews of places in foreign speaking countries such as hotels, restaurants, attractions
• Technical help and how to guides that might not exist in your language
• News and discussion about your favourite foreign football team
• Recipes from a particular country