Easy Google Translate

Easy Google Translate is a FireFox browser plugin that looks like a good helper when trying to learn a second language. Note that I am making a distinction between just translating things and actually helping your learn. Here is what it does.

Once you get it (go to Tools->Add-ons, search for it and install it. Then configure it) it is very easy to use to offer a crutch when needed. I have, for example, configured it to do the following:

• Detect the source language.
• Translate what I select to English
• Speak the text in the original language

Thus, if I highlight the Spanish text in the Esp/Eng block on a NL page and press the CTRL key twice a bubble will pop up with the translated text. That in itself can be amusing as you will see what is really said in the text rather than the equivalent dicho in English. An arrow appears in that same bubble. If I click on it the original text is spoken in Spanish.

This combination best fit my desires but you may wish to configure it to, for example, translate from English to Spanish and speak the translated version. In any case, it's free and it may encourage you to try to rough it through something in Spanish rather than just translate a whole article and, well, not learn anything.