How to Translate Text Online for Free (Using OneLaunch)

Hola! Konnichiwa! Bonjour! Guten tag! Unless you know that each of those sayings means “hello,” you may be left wondering how to translate words you come across online into a language you understand. If you travel or surf the internet long enough, it’s just a matter of time before you come across a website where the text is in a foreign language. OneLaunch now has a Translate app that you may find handy, which works when you’re working online or on your desktop or laptop. Let’s look at how the free app works and how it can help you.

For those of you that are visual learners, we’ve included a how-to video below. In this 4.5-minute video, one of OneLaunch’s founders, Neil, explains and shows how the free translator app works.

What is the Translate App in OneLaunch?

The Translate app is one of 28 apps (and growing) in the OneLaunch apps library. This easy-to-use tool can help you translate text from written words or phrases, documents, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Adobe PDFs, and websites, into over 100 languages. Like our other OneLaunch apps, you can pin the application to the OneLaunch dock, making it a one-click tool you can use on your Windows 10 or 11 desktop. For our tutorial, we are using Windows 11.

How to Use the OneLaunch Translate App

We take pride in making our OneLaunch apps user-friendly, and the Translate app is no different. However, a quick step-by-step can make any learning curve that much easier. Open OneLaunch and click the + sign in the dock, and tap on the Translate app icon to pin the app.

Now all you have to do is click the icon from the dock to open it up. Once you open the app, you’ll immediately see a text box and a “Translate from” and “to” field. The right column includes quick links that let you translate from different sources and view your past activity and previously saved key phrases with a Google account. We’ve chosen to use Google translation services in conjunction with our Translate app, as they are reputable and free to use.

To translate text, simply type or copy/paste words, sentences, or phrases (up to 5,000 characters) into the “Enter text” box. Select what language your text is in and choose what language you want to translate it to, using the “Translate from” and “to” drop-down menus.

When ready, tap the Translate button. OneLaunch will open the Google Translate webpage, where you’ll notice your original text in the left text box, with the newly translated text on the right. From there, you can click the down arrows to change the language of either text window. If you ever want to clear text in the OneLaunch Translate app or in Google Translate, tap the X icon in the text box.

Translate Text From a Document Free

Want to translate text that’s in a document? Open OneLaunch and then open the Translator app.

Click Documents from the right-hand menu, select your languages and upload a file by tapping the browse your computer button, then click the Translate button. When Google Translate is finished translating, you can download the file, so you can open it and see the translated text.

Best Translators for Online Websites

For a URL, select the Websites option and copy/paste a URL into the website box; choose the language you want Translate to detect and the language you want it translated to, then click the arrow button to open up the website in the newly translated language.

A quick note about Windows 10 vs 11 differences: There are a few differences in the Windows 10 experience with the Translate app. Users will find the Translate Documents and Websites options above the translation fields, not to the right side. By default, the Translate app is set to automatically detect the original language, of course, or you can select a language. And once you tap the Translate button, you do not go directly to the Google Translate page.

Tips for Using the OneLaunch Translate App

Using the OneLaunch Translate app is more than just a digital tool to convert text. If you’ve ever wanted to learn another language, try using our app in conjunction with Google Translate. To hear what your original or translated text sounds like, click the audio icon in either of the text boxes in Google Translate. And, if you have a Google account, you can save phrases up to about 250 characters and review your translation history, making it a great resource for later reference.

In addition to helping you learn foreign languages, you can use the Translate app to create one-of-a-kind printed material like party invitations. Type whatever you want to say in a foreign language into the Translate app, select the language you want to change it to, and tap Translate. Create your document in Microsoft Word or another Office program like PowerPoint, then copy/paste the translated text into your document, invitation, etc., and share.

We hope you enjoy using the OneLaunch Translate app, and welcome any ideas for new apps or improving our current apps at [email protected].