Translation Pad

In today’s interconnected world, language barriers are no longer a communication impediment. Internet browsers, social platforms and other day-to-day applications come with integrated translation capabilities so that the shift to your native language is almost instant. There are various online translation services that can assist you in understanding the meaning of a text, if not translating it accurately, and their developers are keen in continuously improving them. 

Although many might not figure out why, some users still prefer working with a desktop translation application, rather than an online service. If that is also your case, Translation Pad is one of the many software tools you can try out.

Simplicity is the keyword when it comes to working with Translation Pad. The interface features a standard, rudimentary appearance, enclosing a few buttons and two panels, one dedicated to the input text and the other to displaying its translation.

As you can imagine, it is possible to type in or paste the text to translate but Translation Pad can also import text files as input. On the downside, TXT is the only supported format, both for the input and the output document.

The utmost feature of Translation Pad is its support for multiple languages of various families. However, keep in mind that their number is considerably lower than that of popular online translation services. 

Moving further to the translation quality, one can say that the engine the application relies on might need additional work to provide satisfactory results. We translated the same piece of text with Translation Pad and one of the most popular online translators and the outcome of the latter was far better.

Translation Pad manages to do its job but the result is not quite as you would expect. While ease of use is one of its pluses, there are some usage-related flaws that might seem small but can become quite annoying when using the application frequently. For instance, instant translation of the input is not possible and the output text is only shown when you press the “Translate” button, found either in the toolbar, or as a singular redundant option in the “Actions” menu.

To conclude with, Translation Pad provides an easy-to-use translator for Windows users but it lacks the features you find in its big competitors. Improving its translation engine to get high-quality texts is mandatory to make it more appealing, while adding it support for additional languages, pronunciation assistance, maybe read-out-loud features could also add to its value.