While it is possible to use an external service like Google Translate to do the translating, realtime translating in the Skype chat interface is usually the better choice as it is less complicated to use.

STranslator is a free software for Skype that integrates right into the popular voice over IP software. Make sure you have the latest version of Skype installed on the system before you run the installer of the translation software.

STranslator requires that the Java Runtime Environment is installed on the system. When you run it, it will automatically scan the Skype chat and start to add translations whenever different languages are detected. The program uses the default user profile language for this.

Say one of the chat users uses English, while another German. STranslator will automatically add translations to the original messages so that both appear in the Skype interface. Translations will automatically stop if users type in the same language.

It is furthermore possible to stop translations at any time with a right-click on the system tray icon and the selection of Pause from the context menu. Select activate when you want the translations to continue.

The developer has created a short demonstration video that highlights the program’s features.

STranslator runs in the background until you close the application. It works similar in many regards to Google Translator for Skype with the difference that the latter is a plugin for Skype with better integration in the voice over IP software.

Users who are looking for an instant chat translator for Skype may want to take a closer look at STranslator. The software is only available for the Windows operating system. Downloads are provided at the developer website.

Update: The Skype Chat translator is now also available for the Linux operating system.

Lingoes is a free dictionary and text translation software for the Windows operating system. The application offers an incredible feature set for a free program, more about that later in the review.

The program ships with an English dictionary and integration of multiple online translation services. Free dictionary files for additional languages are offered at the developer website. They need to be downloaded, unpacked and then loaded into the application.

All dictionaries are accessible at the same time. Words or phrases can be looked up by entering them in the search form on top of the program. Lingoes will automatically display the best match, and adjacent words in its interface.

The word definitions and phonetic form are displayed on the results page, along with the dictionary it has been found in. Phrases can also be picked with the mouse directly in the sidebar. Lingoes tries to automatically match the phrase to one of the installed dictionaries. It is possible to select a specific dictionary instead if the user wants to look up a phrase in one of the available dictionaries. Otherwise, the first matching dictionary will be used for the definition.

Dictionaries are added in the dictionary options menu. Here it is possible to install or uninstall dictionaries

A right-click on a word or phrase opens a context menu with several options, including possibilities to let the program pronounce the selected text, and search or print it.

A click on text translation in the main menu opens a small text input form in the program. Text entered into the form can be translated using one out of 13 different translation services ranging from Google Translate to Baidu Translation and Yahoo Babelfish.

The translated text is directly displayed in the program interface.

Text translation and dictionary look ups are the two main features of Lingoes. Hotkeys are available to use the program’s functionality on a system wide level.

This feature worked nicely in all tested programs, from Firefox over Thunderbird to Microsoft Office. The program hotkeys are defined in the program configuration. Here are the most important standard hotkeys:

• Alt-P: Pronounce
• Ctrl-F12: Speak selected text
• Ctrl-Alt-F12: Stop speaking
• Alt-G: Enable / Disable capture word on screen
• Alt-Z: Enable / Disable translate selected text

The speech functionality uses build in text to speech capabilities of the operating system, with an option to download the free Natural Voice engine pack from the developer website.

Lingoes is an excellent program for users who need dictionary and / or text translation functionality on a regular basis. The program is available as a portable version or installer, and can be extended to work with more than 80 different languages.

A few settings need to be configured after installation,especially the language the text should be translated to. The software is configured to automatically detect the language of the text that the user wants to translate. This text can be selected with the mouse. A small G icon will appear next to the text. If that icon is pressed the area is expanded automatically and the translation displayed.

Several controls are displayed below the translated text including options to copy the text to the Windows clipboard or to select the languages manually for the translation which comes in handy if the translation service detected the wrong language.

The very same principle can be used in other applications with one difference. The application needs to be added to the Client For Google Translate before the translate options become available there as well. This is done by bringing the application window to the front, right-clicking the system tray icon of Client for Google Translate and selecting to enable the feature in the application.

From then on it is possible to translate text in the selected software program as well. The software client can also be used to translate text directly by copying it into the interface.

Client For Google Translate is a software program for the Windows operating system. It is compatible with most versions including Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. A commercial pro version is available as well which adds Wikipedia articles and dictionaries as new features.

GTranslater is an Open Source language translation software for the desktop that uses Google’s translation service that supports 89 languages in total. The interface of the portable software program is pretty basic providing two panes that are used to display the original and the translated text.

The user can paste text into the left pane which will get translated by pressing F5. The translated text is then shown in the right pane. Language selectors are available below each pane that make it easy to switch languages. There is even an unknown entry for translating languages that cannot be identified positively by the user.

The translation software needs a working Internet connection to send and receive the information from Google Translate. It usually does not take longer than a few seconds before the results appear in the second pane. Users who are interested in language translation software might also be interested in the following tools: Foreign Language Identifier and 5 essential tools to learn a language.