Google has added Thai language to their translator...

[hhfarang]

Here's the link...

http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=en#th

[buksida]

Just tried it out on the HHAD home page - it does most of the actual words ok but is completely lost on grammar and sentence structure. Still not a bad tool for a rough idea of what a page is on about!

Going back the other way using huahin4u.com didn't work at all - just timed out!

[JD]

I tried the huahin4u.com this morning and it worked fine.

It does give you an idea about what they are posting in there. Which, oddly enough, seems to be about Thai food, prices being high, blaming the Thai owners for setting their prices aimed at the tourist market, and the smell/taste of fermented fish.

I think Google Translate is a useful tool and I'm sure I'll use it on the odd occasion that info I need is on a Thai language website.

[hockeyrick]

I have a pretty good one on my Nexus one also, works good

[pharvey]

I've found if trying to translate web pages (or forums), you're far better to install the google toolbar. This can be set to translate pages automatically and actually seems to work a little better than google translate for some reason (?).
Great help to me in China, and I've used it on a couple of Thai language sites recently.

[Acadian450]

Tnals guysthat is great

[MwD]

You can always use google chrome, which translates pages into English. It's not perfect but definitely beats trying to read Thai.

[Aussie_Al]

Seems good, loaded is as my home page on my ancient Ipac 6350 (2004, but still works great).

Now just got to get my wife to talk to True, and get the internet back up on my HTC Touch HD; after we turned it off, following it chewing through my prepaind money here.....dammm.

For sure my screw up as a pop up came up about connect to internet, and thought it wanted to use my home wi fi so ok'd.....derrr

[Siani]

I have used these translators. It is better not to give it too much at once. Just keep it simple. What I did was to translate what I wanted such as "Green" and then "water" ..."swimming pool" translate, print it off, then show it tothe pool man
Guess what?? He did not understand...

Only water น้ำ

I must have done something wrong

Yes, google chrome very good

[PeteC]

I have used these translators. It is better not to give it too much at once. Just keep it simple. What I did was to translate what I wanted such as "Green" and then "water" ..."swimming pool" translate, print it off, then show it tothe pool man
Guess what?? He did not understand...

Only water น้ำ

I must have done something wrong

Yes, google chrome very good

Could be he was only capable of reading very elementary and basic Thai. You'd be surprised at how many people can't read here at all. Pete

[Big Boy]

I use it all the time to talk to my grand daughters. We understand each other.

[Bamboo Grove]

Siani wrote:

Green" and then "water"

What the translators can't do well is the grammar. In Thai (as in French) the adjective comes after the noun it qualifies so "green water" according to Thai grammar would be "water green". This would be confusing to people who have not been much in touch with foreigners.

[Korkenzieher]

I find that it handles the grammar pretty well if you keep it to single phrases. If you put in 'green water' for example, it returns น้ำสีเขียว, which is correct. However, if you try to translate each word and then assemble a phrase using the rules of another language, say English, then I am not surprised you come unstuck!

I use it regularly in several languages. It gives the option of multiple possiblities - just float your mouse over the translations - it will show you with yellow highlighting which bit it is doing - and it offers alternative translations if it considers any appropriate. Also, consider idiomatic variation - Thai semantics and idiom are remarkably close to English a lot of the time, but not always. If a given word doesn't quite seem right, try something with a similar meaning. Also, try translating it back - 2 browser sessions open, one set English->Thai, the other set Thai->English and cut and paste back and forth. Most of the time I am pretty sure what I am seeing is near enough correct anyway, but it doesn't harm to check it. I use it regularly in the chat-box of Skype - if one party doesn't understand a word, we type it in, pick it up, and try to get some sort of resolution by bouncing possibilities back & forth. It isn't hard.

[Aussie_Al]

Yea ok, seems to work fine on my laptop.

But my 2 phones, both purchased in Australia, can't seem to find the Thai letters for translation, even though connected to the web to use Google translate.....

As mentioned earlier one an ancient Ipaq 6350, the newer one a HTC Touch HD.

Does anyone have a solution for this ?.....

As until my Thai is better, it would be a useful tool to have with me when I go out.....

[Big Boy]

But my 2 phones, both purchased in Australia, can't seem to find the Thai letters for translation

When both my wife and daughter took their phones to top floor market village to get them unlocked, I think they both paid about 200 Baht extra to have the Thai language added at the same time.