Everyday browsing 3 min read
Translate websites without losing the important details
Documentation, a shop or an article in another language does not always need a separate translator tab. Sverk changes the text on the page itself. That is convenient for a first reading, while important conditions still deserve a comparison with the original.
Translate the page and keep the original close
Sverk for Windows uses Yandex Translate. On a page in another language, the browser may offer translation below the address bar. Select the target-language tab to translate; the original-language tab restores the original text.
If there is no offer, choose Translate from the browser menu or use the page’s right-click menu. The whole page is translated, starting with the visible portion. The command does not limit translation to selected text.
Automate only what helps
- If you regularly need translation from a particular language, choose “Always translate” for that language in the translation window.
- For a language you read yourself, choose “Never translate”. You can also exclude an individual site.
- Review the lists under Settings → Languages. If offers are distracting everywhere, turn translation offers off; the manual command remains available.
If language detection is wrong, change the page language in the translation options. Names, short labels and mixed-language pages can confuse automatic detection. Retrying with the correct source language is more useful than trying to decipher an incoherent translation.
Translation is not entirely local
To translate a page, Sverk sends Yandex its text in batches, the target language and the site’s address without a path, such as https://example.com. This is more than changing interface labels: an external service receives the content it translates.
The browser also requests a technical translation key when a page qualifies for a translation offer, at most once every 20 minutes. That request contains no page text or addresses, but the service sees the IP address and time. With translation offers off and no manual translations, these requests do not happen.
Before translating a private work document, consider your organisation’s rules. A command being part of the browser menu does not make confidential text suitable for an external service. The help pages and privacy policy describe the data flow.
What to compare with the original
Machine translation can change a negation, condition or specialised term. Check prices, deadlines, units and service limitations. For a contract or medical document, page translation can help you find your way around, but it does not replace a professional translation.
If translation fails, try the manual command and check the connection. An unavailable service or a human-verification challenge can prevent the offer from appearing. Neither is a reason to disable certificate checking or other security settings.