BabelFish

BabelFish is an independent online translation brand offering free translations between 46 languages. Established in 2002, it is presented as one of the web’s longest-running translation services. Visitors can enter or paste up to 500 characters, choose a source and target language, and translate without creating an account. The service works in desktop and mobile browsers, with no installation required. For some languages that use their own writing systems, short translations also include pronunciation in English letters.

Alongside its machine- and AI-generated translations, BabelFish maintains an archive of common phrases contributed by visitors. Phrase pages can include multiple translations, with entries marked as human translations written by visitors and reviewed for accuracy. The site also offers language-specific translator pages, articles about language and translation, and answers to common translation questions. BabelFish cautions that automated translations may miss tone, formality, or idioms, and recommends qualified human review for important uses. The brand is independent and is not affiliated with AltaVista, Yahoo, or Microsoft, although its translation text is sent to Microsoft Azure Translator for processing.