I’ve had to do a few foreign language interviews in my time as a journalist, in which I’ve sent off questions via email in English and received answers back in a language that I don’t speak.
There are a bunch of different ways I could go about translating the text after that happens, but one of the easiest ways I’ve found is to use Microsoft Word’s built-in Translator tool.
The tool is so easy to use; it allows you to highlight the text you want translated and then that text and a translation appear in little side windows next to your document. That means you can keep working on what you’re writing without any monotonous copying and pasting of text back and forth between a translator.
What to do:
- Open a new blank document in Microsoft Word.
- Now copy and paste or type the foreign language text into the blank document.
- From the menu select Review and then Language (the open book icon) and then select the Translate symbol on the left.
- Now select Translate Selection.
- Choose the language you’d like the text translated into in the right-side window.
- All you have to do now is select the text in the document to see a translation appear in the bottom right-side window.
Dominic Bayley / Foundry
Alternatively, instead of Translate selection, you can choose to translate the whole document into your chosen language (just select Translate Document instead).
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