When you need to translate one language to another, either just to communicate or because you're trying to read something, you have tons of options—they're just not all that great at capturing what the original language really meant without sounding silly. This week we're looking at five of the best, based on your nominations.
Earlier in the week we asked you for your favorite language translation tools, and you responded with some solid picks. Here are your top five, in no particular order.
Advertisement
Google Translate
Koikatu Base Game Included with all Updates, Extra Content & DLC INSTALLATION: Extract or Unzip to Desktop and Play, No Updating or Patching Required EXTRA INFORMATION: Vanilla All-In-One Re-Pack No Mods or English Translations Where Used ALREADY INSTALLED: Koikatu Base Game Koikatu02pluscdp0427 - CharaStudio Koikatusouki Koikatuyoyaku.
Advertisement
Most people are already familiar with Google Translate. It's fairly ubiquitous, works relatively well, is integrated with Google's other products, like Chrome's auto-translation feature in-browser, and multiple Android apps that hand off to the built-in Translate app for things like translating tweets or text on webpages or in emails. It supports dozens of languages, and takes the hassle out of figuring out which language you're reading thanks to its auto-detection. You can translate entire web pages or documents easily as well. It's not perfect, and it definitely falls down on complicated sentences and context, but it's still one of the best free, web-accessible, and mobile-accessible options available.
In the nomination thread, I explained that Google Translate was a huge boon to me on a recent trip overseas—I was able to download language packs for offline use so I didn't drain precious mobile data while I was out and about, and I didn't have to be connected to Wi-Fi to use the app. Plus, the audio component meant that I was able to listen to a native speaker (or a native-speaking algorithm) speak the phrases I translated aloud so I could parrot them back when necessary. A few of you noted that Google Translate often falls down on context and words that have multiple meanings depending on how they're used, and that's a fair criticism. You can read more in its nomination thread here.
Advertisement
Bing Translator
Advertisement
Bing Translator, a Microsoft product, is the translation engine embedded into Windows Phone, and it also has the distinction of being the last major translation engine on the web with a free API, so developers rely on it often to power their in-app translation features (since Google makes developers pay for access.) It also supports dozens of languages, has auto-detection built-in, can translate web pages or uploaded documents, and the ability for users to vote translations up or down depending on their accuracy. It has spoken word features for some languages but not all, and it offers bookmarklets to use Bing Translator in any browser quickly at the click of a button. One place Bing Translate really stands out is the OCR and text-recognition features in its Windows Phone app—you can hold the app up to unfamiliar text, even if it's in different characters, and the app will translate it right there on the screen for you to read.
In its nomination thread, those of you who voted for it praised its Windows Phone app for easy translation, both highlighting the OCR features we just mentioned as well as the app's voice capabilities, so you can have a native speaker speak aloud what they want you to understand and have the app either speak or display what they said back to you in your own language. You can read more about it in its nomination thread here.
Advertisement
Linguee
Advertisement
Linguee is less of a translation service as it is a translation dictionary and search engine. While it won't translate documents or web pages for you, you can always type in words in languages you don't understand and see meanings, contextual translations, and other documents around the web where the word is properly used so you can get a feel for how it's used. It also doesn't offer the spoken word capabilities of other services, so it's probably not best used for quick words or phrases that you may encounter elsewhere, or things like tweets and Facebook posts made by your friends in other languages. It is, however, useful for people who have texts to muddle through and they're trying to translate them on their own, or people learning another language who need a little help with tricky words or phrases. If you need a quick, convenient translation tool, this isn't it—but if you're looking for a real dictionary or vocabulary tool that also gives you rich context, Linguee is more than robust. You can read more about the service on its about page.
Those of you who nominated Linguee pointed out the fact that it's a bit separate from the other tools in the list that aim to give you understanding without actually learning the language in question. Linguee is more of a tool for language learners, or someone doing real translation or research. Many of you also noted that Linguee and Google Translate compliment each other nicely, and can be used in conjunction with each other to not just get quick translations, but also provide more in-depth context and meaning for everything you do translate. Read more detail in its nomination thread.
Advertisement
WordLens
WordLens is the brainchild of the folks at Quest Visual, recently acquired by Google, so expect to see some of its features rolled into Google Translate any time now. WordLens made waves back in 2010 because its iPhone and Android apps were some of the first to offer real-time, camera-based translations—where you just hold your device up to an unfamiliar language, and have it re-rendered in your native language right in front of your eyes. When it was new, it was the first time anyone had seen anything like it, and the apps still work remarkably well. They're not perfect of course, but they can be useful for reading street signs, menus, and other printed documents that you need to muddle through. As a result of being acquired by Google, WordLens is now free, and anyone can download the apps for Android, for iOS, or even for Google Glass for free. It still only supports a few languages, but it's completely free, works well enough, and in a way works magic in front of your eyes.
Advertisement
Word Lens, The Real-Time Translation App, Is Now Free
Android/iOS: Word Lens, the app that can translate the words and language it sees in real time, is…
Read more ReadIn its nomination thread, those of you who supported WordLens were quick to note that the app certainly doesn't work perfectly, but it's a great tool and a great step on the way to a universal text translator that anyone can use anywhere, anytime, just by holding up their device to something they need to read. Many of you also noted that WordLens works entirely offline, which also means you have to download the language packs you need before using it. Reader Saralinda, who nominated it, noted that it was helpful on a recent trip to Costa Rica, and real-world experience is always good to hear. Read more in its nomination thread here.
Advertisement
A Trained Human Translator
Advertisement
At the end of the day, automatic and machine translation tools and dictionaries all fall down when compared against a trained human translator who has spent years studying and truly understanding the languages you need to translate. No algorithm or programmed resource—at least not yet—has been able to appropriately capture context, meaning, tone, and even inflection the way a human being can communicate it if they know multiple languages. As long as languages are what they are—human methods for communication—it'll be very difficult to come up with a machine or automatic tool that'll translate it perfectly.
Many of you pointed this out in its nomination thread, and highlighted that some of you were professional translators and people shouldn't settle for anything else. Of course, not all of us have the privilege of hiring a professional translator or finding someone who knows both our native language and the one we're reading every time we connect with someone who lives overseas via email, or follow them on Twitter, or stumble on a webpage that we'd love to read but can't understand, so while a human translator is certainly 'the best' translation tool, it's certainly not the most accessible to regular people. Plus, you want to make sure you don't get a translator like this guy. Of course, if you do see a need to translate languages often, you may just be better off learning the languages you want to understand, and we have plenty of great toolsand tips to helpyou start down that roadas well. In the interim, you can read the nomination thread here.
Advertisement
Five Best Language Learning Tools
Learning a new language is difficult, which is why there's a huge market for tools and apps to …
Read more ReadNow that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all-out vote to determine the winner.
Advertisement
No honorable mentions this week, since the nominees fell off pretty quickly from the ones above. Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn't included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread earlier in the week. Don't just complain about the top five, let us know what your preferred alternative is—and make your case for it—in the discussions below.
Advertisement
What's The Best Language Translation Tool?
When you need to translate one language to another, doing it with a machine or an algorithm is…
Read more ReadThe Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at [email protected]!
Advertisement
Title photo by Andy L. Additional photo by Daniela Vladimirova.
This version adds compatibility for the Steam release of Koikatsu Party (KKP). If you have the Japanese release and installed HF Patch v2.7 already, you do not need to install this (most of the fixes are for KKP and HF Patch itself).
このバージョンでは、Koikatsu PartyのSteamリリースとの互換性が追加されています。HF v2.7をすでにインストールしている場合は、このバージョンをインストールする必要はありません。
What is this?
A patch for Koikatu and Koikatsu Party with all free updates, fan-made English translations and essential mods. It will allow you to load all character cards and scenes and give you countless gameplay improvements while still keeping the original, uncluttered and clean feel of the game.
HF Patch does not contain the full game, paid expansions or any other pirated content. You have to buy the game and expansions separately.
All content is tested and fixed (or removed) as needed before each update, providing a stable platform for further modding. HF Patch can also repair many common issues, try it if you have issues.
Notes for Steam release, new users please read!
Consider pausing your Koikatsu updates on Steam. New updates might install automatically and break mods (which can break the game in return) with no user input.
You can prevent Steam from showing you play the game by starting the .exe manually (not from the Steam library). Make your games private to be extra sure. The game can also run with Steam turned off. Just know that we won't judge you for your hours played :)
If you verify game files in your Steam client, you will lose many features and have to re-run HF Patch. You can do this if you have issues as it will not remove any of your data.
Included fan translations are only used to fill in the gaps in official translation (DLC, studio, mods).
It is possible to install the Japanese VR module. Download this, open the .exe in 7zip, and extract contents of the 'setup' folder into the game directory after installing HF Patch.
It is possible to install Japanese versions of Summer Personality Expansion and After School Expansion packs to the Steam release (note that they only have (mostly) low quality machine translations, but the features work fine). They are both entirely optional and HF Patch will inform you if they are missing. Check the discord server for more info.
Installing HF Patch will add free updates for Koikatu, which contain Studio (a separate .exe). For many people this is the only mode they use (apart from character maker to make characters for use in studio), so it is highly recommended that you check it out. All my Koikatu HF Patch preview images were made in studio, including this one. You can see other people's creations and download their studio scenes from the Koikatsu Discord server. There are also some guides available there.
Downloads / ダウンロード
- Direct download: https://mega.nz/#F!Ic0wWYTJ!ElXIiXoFx1D6yfy0VTsEyw
- Torrent: magnet:?xt=urn:btih:76A5E90ACAD9143B6F3C73E488E1254A161BB542
If you need any help, visit the KoikatsuDiscordserver and check out the #faqs channel. If you didn't find what you need, feel free to ask in the #help channel or in comments under this post, we'll be happy to help!
Patcherchanges / 変更
- Added Koikatsu Party compatibility (incompatible plugins will not be installed even if they are displayed on the list and checked, they can't be hidden because of framework limitations)
- Added warning if Koikatu! and Koikatsu Party are installed to the same directory (mod compatibility issues)
- VR patch is now installed automatically if VR module is detected
- Fixed KK_MoveMapFromCharaList being copied to wrong directory
- Fixed plugin config always getting reset, even if not intended
- Fixed custom default settings failing to save to plugin config
- Fixed HF Patch error log getting removed halfway through install
- Fixed VMDPlugin breaking the game if Darkness is installed (with a config change)
- Fixed default/translated cards, scenes, etc. being copied even though they were not checked (this time it's actually fixed, another issue with the framework limitations)
Mods added / 追加
- KK_FreeHRandom v1.1.1
- KK_SettingsFix v1.1
- KoikatuFixes v0.1
- ManlyMarco/KoikatuDragAndDrop 1.3.1 (replaces IllusionDragAndDrop)
Mods updated / 更新
- BepisPlugins r10.2
- KKAPI v1.3.4
- smokeofc/KoikatsuLaucher v1.1 (works for all types of game installs now)
- KK_GUIDMigration v1.5.2
- Additional Skin Effects v1.5.2
- KKPE 1.1.0 (downgraded from 1.2.0 due to issues)
- FixShaderDropdown v1.0.1
- KK_ClothesLoadOption 0.2.0
- HideHInterface v1.1
- KK_ReloadCharaListOnChange v1.5.1
- KK_HeadFix v1.1
- KK_BetterColorPicker v1.0.1
- Koikatsu: Become Trap v1.1.1
- Gameplay mod v1.4.2
- KK_NightDarkener v1.1.1
- KK_ExperienceLogic v1.0.1 hotfix
- ClothingStateMenu v2.3.1
- HeightBar v2.0.1
- JannieReplacer v1.2
Mods removed / 削除
- IllusionDragAndDrop
Character used in the preview image was made by Neptune, thanks!