Babel

Babel

Translate Word documents side by side. The layout stays put; only the words change.

Continue from a translated file

If you have the original and a translation previously downloaded from Babel (or with the same paragraph structure), pair them to pick up where you left off.

Documents are kept in this browser’s storage only. When proofing is on, the text of edited paragraphs is sent to LanguageTool for spelling and grammar checks; you can turn that off in Settings.

Opening…

Translate into…

Versions

Babel saves continuously and keeps a version every few minutes while you work, plus one before every restore and download. Restoring keeps a copy of the current state first, so nothing is ever lost.

Settings

Spelling and grammar

The free service checks up to about 20 paragraphs a minute. A LanguageTool Premium account or your own server lifts that limit.

Display

Working in Babel

Keyboard

Tab / Enter
Next paragraph
Shift Tab
Previous paragraph
Alt ↓ / ↑
Next / previous paragraph still to translate
Ctrl Enter
Confirm paragraph as done, go to the next
Shift Enter
Line break inside the paragraph
Ctrl B I U
Bold, italic, underline
Ctrl Z
Undo
Ctrl S
Save now (it saves by itself anyway)

How it works

The right-hand document starts as an exact copy of the original. Type over the text paragraph by paragraph. Paragraphs can’t be split or merged and images, footnote references and fields stay where they are, so the translated file keeps the original’s structure and styles exactly.

A bar in the left margin marks paragraphs you have changed (blue) or confirmed as done (green). A page that no longer fits gets a red edge and a note saying by how much.

Clicking an underlined word shows the suggestion. Character counts include spaces and cover the body text, footnotes and endnotes, like Word’s count.

Your work is saved in this browser as you type. Versions lets you go back to any earlier state.