How to Fix Google Chrome Translate Not Working
Google Chrome’s ability to translate foreign languages into English (or any other preferred language) transparently is easily among its best features. But there are cases where the built-in Google Translate module of Chrome may not work properly. If the browser has problems translating websites, this article will look for ways to fix them.
There are several reasons why Chrome may not translate foreign websites. This could be due to misconfigured language settings, conflicts with extensions, or an outdated web cache.
So let’s take a look at several troubleshooting fixes that you can apply immediately to get Chrome’s translation features working again.
Note: It’s best to update Chrome to the latest version before you start. This alone could potentially solve problems or anomalies with the integrated Google Translate module.
Enable translation prompts
Chrome is configured to prompt you to automatically translate foreign websites by default. If the browser does not do this, you need to make sure that the appropriate language setting is enabled.
Start by visiting the Chrome Settings panel: open the Chrome menu, then click Settings.
Expand the Advanced section on the left side of the Settings panel, then click Languages. Then click on Language under Languages (on the right of the window) to display additional options.
Make sure the switch next to “Offer to translate pages that are not in a language you read” is turned on.
If you were to enable the option, exit the Settings pane and try to load a foreign website. You should see a prompt to translate the website immediately.
Manually translate web pages
Sometimes Chrome’s machine translation prompts may not start, especially if the web pages contain a mixture of languages. But do not worry. Chrome also comes with an option that lets you forcibly translate pages.
Right-click an empty area of a web page, and then click Translate to English.
This should prompt the browser to translate the foreign language into English. If you want to return to the original language, just reload the page.
Use incognito mode
If you repeatedly receive an error message “ This page could not be translated ” (or something similar) in Google Chrome, it is likely that an extension is in conflict with the Google Translate module integrated.
To confirm if this is the case, try loading the website in incognito mode, because it runs with all extensions disabled: open the Chrome menu, then click New incognito mode to bring up a new window. private navigation.
If Chrome translates foreign web pages without problems in incognito mode, you need to isolate the problematic extension.
Go to the Chrome Extensions screen (Chrome menu> More tools> Extensions), then continue to disable extensions while trying to translate web pages to isolate the problematic extension.
Also on Guiding Tech
Clear cookies and cache
An outdated Chrome web cache can also generate “This page could not be translated” error messages.
If the problem is limited to one site, try clearing the associated web cache. First, load the website in a new tab, click the padlock symbol in the address bar, and then select Site settings.
On the Site Settings page that appears, click Clear Data. This should prompt Chrome to delete all locally stored data from the website.
Refresh the website. The browser should probably translate it without problems.
You can also clear the entire browser cache in cases where Chrome is unable to translate multiple websites. Remember that you will need to log in to the websites again once you have done this.
Go to Chrome settings> Privacy & security> Clear browsing data. In the Clear browsing data area that appears, go to the Advanced tab, set the time range to All times, check the boxes next to ‘Cookies and site data’ and ‘Images and files set cache ‘, then click Clear Data.
Warning: Do not check the boxes next to “Passwords and other login details” and “Automatically fill in form data”. Otherwise, Chrome will permanently delete your passwords and auto-complete data.
Use the Google Translate extension
Despite the above fixes, the built-in Google Translate module of Chrome may still not work on some websites for unknown reasons.
In this case, try to use the Google Translate extension instead. You can download it from the Chrome Web Store.
The Google Translate extension lets you quickly translate entire pages and text snippets. It also offers the ability to send words, sentences or paragraphs directly to the Google Translate website.
You can deactivate the Google Translate extension and activate it only in cases where the integrated Google Translate module of Chrome does not start.
Start translating
I hope the above troubleshooting tips have helped you solve the Chrome translation puzzles. If you’re still having frequent problems with the built-in Google Translate module, consider resetting Chrome, it’s a great way to start using the browser with a blank slate.
Then:
Do you find it boring when YouTube translates video titles? Click the following link to find out how you can prevent YouTube from automatically translating video titles.
Last updated Jul 2, 2020
The above article may contain affiliate links that help support Guiding Tech. However, this does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains impartial and authentic.