FamilyTreeDNA is working on improving our translation services. While we cannot translate emails automatically, we have listed temporary solutions while working towards fully localizing our platform.
There are many email services with different functionalities. The choice of one or another will depend on your needs.
Please note that we do not recommend that you use any specific translation service or email provider. We provide instructions to Google Translate, Gmail, and Microsoft Outlook in this article for example purposes only.
Using Online Translation Services
One option for translating an email is to copy the message text and paste it into an online translation service.
One example of a translation service is Google Translate.
To translate an email using Google Translate:
- Open your email.
- Select/highlight the text you want to translate and copy by right-clicking on your mouse and selecting Copy or pressing “Ctrl + C” on your keyboard.
- Open Google Translate in a new window tab.
- Paste your text into the text box in Google Translate by right-clicking and selecting Paste or by pressing “Ctrl + V.” Detected language should be English. Select the language you wish to translate the email to in the other box on the right. Your text should be automatically translated.
Translating Via Your Email Provider
Many email providers offer a translation option. For more information, refer to your email provider's user guide.
For example, both Gmail and Microsoft Outlook detect if the text in an email is different than your default language and gives you the option to translate the directly in that email.
Gmail
To translate an email in Gmail:
- Open the email received in Gmail that requires translation.
- Click the three-dot menu button in the upper-right corner of the email, and click the Translate message option.
- The original message is automatically replaced by its translation into your default language. You can also manually alter the source (on the left) and target (on the right) language by using their drop-down menus. The required translation should appear instantly.
TIP: To change your default language, click the Settings button (gear icon) in the upper-right corner of Gmail. Click See all settings. On the General tab, select your preferred language in the Language section.
Microsoft Outlook
To translate an email in Outlook:
- Open your email for translation in Outlook on the web.
- Click the three-dot button on the top right of the email for More actions.
- Select the View tab, and click Translate.
- The email will be translated to the target language.