Thibault Busschots’s Reviews > En dag ska jag bygga ett slott av pengar > Status Update

Natasha read a book in German with the help of Google Translate once. 😄 Laboriously copy-pasted entire paragraphs into GT and read it that way. That's dedication!

I've never done that, I rely on forcing my brain to do the hard work with "proximate" languages (Dutch thanks to German, Italian thanks to Spanish, etc.), but there's one book in a language I don't speak that I may have to read with a translating app if they don't translate it.

That sounds like quite a challenge! Keep us posted.

Marquise wrote: "Natasha read a book in German with the help of Google Translate once. 😄 Laboriously copy-pasted entire paragraphs into GT and read it that way. That's dedication!

I've never done that, I rely on f..."

Wow, typing a whole book into Google Translate definitely takes dedication. I just use the app and the camera of my phone. Makes for a much easier and faster translating process.

My first thought was actually a book in Korean that I’ve had my eye on ever since it came out. But I figured I better use a language closer to home first, to see how well it works. Since I already know a couple of Germanic languages, some words in Swedish feel very familiar. And with a few educated guesses and the help of the app, I think and hope I should be able to read this one at a pretty decent pace.

Cool, which one would you like to read? And in what language?

Srivalli wrote: "That sounds like quite a challenge! Keep us posted."

It’s definitely a challenge. But a very fun and exciting one :)

Thibault wrote: "Cool, which one would you like to read? And in what language?"

This one: Rytuał. The authors are Ukrainian and have had several of their books translated into English, but I don't know why they've omitted this one.

At this pace, I'll have to do as Natasha and use GT. Or even your app.

Marquise wrote: "This one: Rytuał. The authors are Ukrainian and have had several of their books translated into English, but I don't know why they've omitted this one.

At this pace, I'll have to do as Natasha and use GT. Or even your app."

Cool cover. Well, so far I'm quite impressed with how well the app works. Hover your camera over the page, and one or two seconds later it's translated on your smartphone. Though occasionally I do have to use my brain or my computer to look up a word because a sentence doesn’t really seem to make sense. Once I finish this one, I'll be able to tell how well it works for a whole book.

What is the app called again?

Marquise wrote: "What is the app called again?"

Good old Google Translate :)

My daughter has read complete mangas using Google Lens. Works way better than Google Translate as you don't even need copy-paste. Just hold your phone over the text and it shows you the translation. I'm learning so many things from these girls, I tell ya! :D

Hope you enjoy this work, Thibault. It will certainly take time and efforts, but it's good to discover a new author if it works for you. :)

What a cool idea! I hope you enjoy the book :) Best of luck from a Swedish-speaking reader!

Thibault wrote: "Marquise wrote: "What is the app called again?"

Good old Google Translate :)"

Hmph! Now I can't have secret conversations with my friends because you'll find out. :P

Rosh wrote: "My daughter has read complete mangas using Google Lens. Works way better than Google Translate as you don't even need copy-paste. Just hold your phone over the text and it shows you the translation..."

Thanks for the tip, Rosh. You have some very clever girls in your house! Like your own personal tech support team.

I gave it a shot and it’s exactly the same as the Google Translate app in terms of use and results. I think the Google Translate app actually uses the same software for the camera.

Alexandra wrote: "What a cool idea! I hope you enjoy the book :) Best of luck from a Swedish-speaking reader!"

I hope so too. Thanks, Alexandra :)

Marquise wrote: "Thibault wrote: "Marquise wrote: "What is the app called again?"

Good old Google Translate :)"

Hmph! Now I can't have secret conversations with my friends because you'll find out. :P"

I didn’t know you were such a secretive person, Marquise. What kind of deep, dark secrets could you possibly be hiding?

Thibault wrote: "Thanks for the tip, Rosh. You have some very clever girls in your house! Like your own personal tech support team."

Oh yes! I used to be the Tech Support for my entire extended family, and now my girls are my tech support when it comes to these newfangled apps. :D

It does use the same tech. Just that you save yourself the effort of copy-paste when you use Lens. The going becomes that much faster. Plus, there's no character limit. In G.Translate, you can copy paste 5000 characters in one shot. So it becomes inconvenient for long paragraphs.

Rosh wrote: "It does use the same tech. Just that you save yourself the effort of copy-paste when you use Lens. The going becomes that much faster. Plus, there's no character limit. In G.Translate, you can copy paste 5000 characters in one shot. So it becomes inconvenient for long paragraphs."

They inherited their talents from their supermom :)

Google Translate is also not so great for spoken words either. As soon as there’s a pause in a conversation, like someone needing a second to breathe for example, the app stops working.

Thibault wrote: "Google Translate is also not so great for spoken words either. As soon as there’s a pause in a conversation, like someone needing a second to breathe for example, the app stops working."

Oh! I didn't know that! I have never used Google Translate by speaking into it. I feel very uncomfortable speaking into devices (which includes phone calls, lol), so my phone mic is always off for such apps. :D