Accessibility is one of the most important aspects of technology. Over the years, technology has become more accessible. A good example is the translation feature, which is available across all popular web browsers. So, when you want to read a website that's in a language unknown to you, your browser can translate it for you.

Many browsers have built-in translation features, allowing you to translate a website from and into popular languages. In most cases, this is a one-click process. However, you may need to do some setup to translate websites into specific languages that aren't the default language on your browser.

Here's how to translate a website on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari.

How to translate a website on Google Chrome for desktop

Google Chrome has one of the best translation integrations, thanks to Google Translate. Translation in Chrome is one of the easiest ways to use Google Translate. Here's how to translate a website in Google Chrome:

  1. In Google Chrome, click the three-dot menu button in the upper-right corner of the browser.
  2. Click Settings in the drop-down menu.
  3. In the left navigation pane, click the Languages tab.
  4. In the right pane, turn on the toggle next to Use Google Translate.
    Google Chrome language settings
  5. Navigate to the website you want to be translated.
  6. If supported, Google Translate automatically shows a Translate pop-up. If it doesn't, right-click the text area and click Translate to English. The pop-up appears in the upper-right corner of Google Chrome.
    Google-Chrome-language-settings-translate-box
  7. This automatically translates the website to English (or your default language in Chrome).

You have to follow a few extra steps to translate a website to a language that isn't the default language in Google Chrome.

  1. Click the Translate button in the Google Chrome address bar to open the Translate pop-up. If the button isn't visible, right-click the text area, and click Translate to English to make the pop-up appear.
    Google Chrome language settings right click menu
  2. Click the three-dot menu button, and click Choose another language.
    Google-Chrome-language-settings-select-language
  3. Click the drop-down menu, and click the preferred language from the list.
    Google-Chrome-language-settings-select-language-list
  4. Click the Translate button.

How to translate a website on Google Chrome on your phone

The steps on the mobile version of Google Chrome are similar to the ones on the desktop version, except the translation pop-up appears as a bar at the bottom of the screen.

  1. Navigate to the website you want to be translated.
  2. If supported, Google Translate automatically shows a Translate pop-up at the bottom of the screen. If the pop-up doesn't appear, tap the three-dot menu button and then tap the Translate button.
  3. The pop-up show the current language and the system language/default language next to it. Tap the language (for example, English) to translate the page.
    Google Chrome mobile translation steps

To translate a website to a language that isn't the default language/system language:

  1. Tap the three-dot menu on the Translate pop-up. If the pop-up doesn't display, tap the three-dot menu button and then tap the Translate button.
  2. On the Translate pop-up, tap the three-dot menu button, and tap More languages.
  3. Tap the preferred language from the list.

Translate on Mozilla Firefox with an extension

Mozilla Firefox doesn't have a built-in translation feature. You have to rely on browser extensions to get the job done. Our go-to choice is the Google Translate Firefox extension.

  1. In Mozilla Firefox, go to the Firefox Browser Add-Ons store page for the Google Translate Firefox extension.
    Mozilla-Firefox-Google-Translate
  2. Click Add to Firefox.
  3. Click the Add button to confirm. Firefox opens the Addons tab showing the Google Translate extension enabled.
    Mozilla-Firefox-Google-Translate-options
  4. Configure your default translation language options and click Save.
  5. Navigate to the website you want to be translated.
  6. Right-click the text area and click Translate this page. The translated page opens in a new tab.
    Mozilla-Firefox-Google-Translate-page
  7. Click the English drop-down menu (or your configured default language) on the Google Translate bar at the top of the page, and click your preferred language to translate the page into a different language.
    Mozilla-Firefox-Google-Translate-languages

Translate a website on Microsoft Edge

Here's how to translate website text using Microsoft Edge:

  1. In Microsoft Edge, click the three-dot menu button in the upper-right corner of the browser.
  2. Click Settings from the drop-down menu.
  3. In the left navigation pane, click Languages.
  4. In the right pane, turn on the toggle next to Offer to translate pages that aren't in a language I read.
    Micosoft-Edge-language-options
  5. Navigate to the website you want to be translated.
  6. If supported, Microsoft Edge automatically shows a Translate pop-up. If it doesn't, right-click the text area and click Translate to English (or your default system language.)
    Micosoft-Edge-right-click-options
  7. This translates the page into the default language.
  8. To change the language, click the Translate button in the address bar.
  9. Click the drop-down button that says English (or whatever your default system language is).
  10. Select the target language from the list.
    Micosoft-Edge-Translate-box-1
  11. Click Translate.

How to translate a website on Safari on your Mac

The translation feature on Safari is available on Macs running macOS Big Sur or newer. Follow the below steps.

  1. Open Safari and navigate to the website you want to translate.
  2. If translation is supported, you will see a Translate button in the address bar, which Apple refers to as the Smart Search field. Click the button.
    Safari-Mac-translation-options
  3. Click the Translate to English option (or the language of your choice, if listed.)
  4. Click Enable Translation if prompted.

To add a target language to the options, click the Preferred Languages button, click the plus sign, and click the language you want to add. It appears in the options when you click the Translate button.

Translate on your iPhone and iPad

  1. Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad and navigate to the website you want to translate.
  2. If translation is supported, you may see a Translate icon in the address bar indicating so in place of the Aa button.
  3. Tap the Aa button on the address bar, and click Translate to English (or your default system language.) If you have multiple languages added, the option reads Translate Website.
  4. Tap your preferred language.
  5. Tap Enable Translation if prompted.
    Safari iPhone and iPad translation steps

To add a target language to the options, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and tap General > Language & Region. Under Preferred Language Order, tap Add Language and select the language from the list. You'll have to restart the iPhone or iPad to enable the language.

Translating websites on the go

Translation features have improved over time. Most browsers let you translate websites on the go, and these features are available across computers and Android phones, iPhones, iPads, and Android tablets. However, the accuracy isn't always up to the mark, so double-check the translated text. For most purposes, these features work just fine.