Bing Translate is a translation website launched by Microsoft that provides full-text translation for paragraphs and web pages. It can translate both text and whole web pages. Similar to Google Translate, Bing Translate also employs statistical machine translation technology. The web version supports translation among over 40 languages. With Microsoft’s robust corpus resources, the translation quality is generally high. Users can input text in the left input field, and after pressing the Translate button or the enter key, the translation result will display in the right result box. Bing Translate also offers the option to read the translation aloud and evaluate the quality of the translation.
By entering a URL in the input field, users can activate the full web page translation feature, which can automatically detect the original language. By hovering the mouse cursor over the text below the translation, users can see the original text in real-time.
Official website: https://www.bing.com/translator
2. Illustrated Tutorial
2.1 Opening Bing Translate
1) Upon opening, users will see the interface shown in the image below, where we can clearly see that the upper menu bar includes six sections: [Text], [Translation Tools], [Conversation], [Apps], [Commercial Version], and [Help].
2.2 Commonly Used Phrases
1) Below the translation box, we can see [Commonly Used Phrases]. Here, users can select the type of phrases, commonly including categories like social, travel, and dining. By selecting different languages in the left box, users can obtain various types of commonly used phrases in that language. For example, in the image below, if we select English as the reference language, we will see the most common phrases and sentences in [travel], such as “where is the airport?”
2) Clicking the speaker icon in the lower left corner allows users to listen to the original text being read aloud, while clicking the microphone icon enables voice input for translation.
Clicking the speaker icon in the lower right corner allows users to hear the translated text being read aloud, and clicking the overlapping text icon on the far right allows users to copy the translation. The icon on the far left indicates [Suggest Translation]. If users believe the translation is not accurate, they can click the “Suggest Edit” link.
2.4 Translation Tools, Personal Use
In addition to the direct text translation and commonly used phrases shown on the page, the other six functions in the menu bar (excluding help) also possess powerful translation capabilities.
1) First is the [Translation Tools] section, which, when opened, leads directly to the Microsoft Translator software download page, allowing users to install the Microsoft Translator application.
2) Opening [Personal Use] redirects users to an introduction of the Microsoft Translator program, where they can watch videos to learn about its specific functions.
1) Returning to the main interface of Bing Translate, clicking on the [Conversation] in the menu bar will display the two images below. The arrow in the lower left indicates that users can engage in cross-device translation conversations, facilitating one-on-one chats and large group interactions. There are two ways to join a conversation on the right: the first is to join an existing conversation using a conversation code, and the second is to log in with a Microsoft or Google account to start a new conversation.
2) The main methods of conversation are as follows:
2.6 Apps
Clicking on [Apps] in the main interface of Bing Translate will reveal the image below, which is also the page for downloading the Microsoft Translator program, where users can learn more information and download the web version or mobile version.
2.7 Commercial Version
Clicking on the [Commercial Version] in the main interface of Bing Translate will show the image below, which is generally used by enterprises and professional translators. It is not yet fully developed and is only available for testing.
3. Learning Insights
Bing Translate can be considered one of Microsoft’s most popular and practical mobile applications, featuring both Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology and language translation capabilities. The five functions displayed on the main interface of Bing Translate are closely related to Microsoft Translator, allowing for the download of Microsoft Translator software. Although the Bing Translate online site does not directly support document and video translation, its translation quality can be affirmed, and it supports voice translation, which is a significant advantage for learners and professionals in interpretation. As translation learners, we should actively explore various online translation tools and machine translation tools to keep up with the times and enhance our learning and use of translation tools.
4. Accompanying Video
Note: This is a learning piece for reference only; corrections are welcome.