Google Chrome’s ability to seamlessly translate foreign languages into English (or any preferred language) is among its best features. But there are also cases where Chrome’s integrated Google Translate module may not work properly. If the browser has any problems translating websites, this post will look for ways to fix them.
There are several reasons why Chrome cannot translate foreign websites. It can be due to misconfigured language settings, conflicts with extensions, or an outdated web cache.
So, let’s take a look at a few troubleshooting fixes that you can apply right away to get Chrome’s translation features working properly again.
Note: It’s best to update Chrome to the latest version before you start. This alone can fix any possible glitches or anomalies with the integrated Google Translate module.
Enable Translation Prompts
By default, Chrome is configured to automatically ask you to translate foreign websites. If the browser does not do this, you should make sure that the corresponding language setting is enabled.
Start by visiting the Chrome Settings panel; Open the Chrome menu and then click Settings.
Expand the Advanced section to the left side of the Settings panel, and then click on Languages. Then, under Languages (right side of the window) click on Language to reveal additional options.
Make sure the switch next to ‘Offer to translate pages not in the language you are reading’ is turned on.
If you need to enable the option, exit the Settings pane and try to load a foreign website. You should see a prompt to translate the website right away.
Manually Translate Web Pages
Sometimes, Chrome’s automatic translation prompts may not kick in, especially if web pages contain different languages. But don’t worry. Chrome also comes with an option that lets you forcibly turn pages.
Right-click any blank area on 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 revert to the original language, simply reload the page.
Use Incognito Mode
If you are constantly getting the ‘This page could not be translated’ error message (or something similar) in Google Chrome, it is likely that an extension is conflicting with the integrated Google Translate module.
To verify if this is the case, try to load the website in Incognito mode as it works with all extensions disabled; Open the Chrome menu and then click New Incognito Mode to open a new Incognito window.
If Chrome is translating foreign web pages in Incognito mode without problems, you need to isolate the problematic extension.
Go to the Chrome Extensions screen (Chrome menu > More Tools > Extensions) and then keep disabling extensions while trying to translate web pages to isolate the problematic extension.
Clear Cookies and Cache
An outdated Chrome web cache can also throw ‘This page could not be translated’ error messages.
If the problem is limited to a single site, try clearing the web cache for it. First load the website in a new tab, click the padlock-shaped icon in the address bar, then select Site Settings.
On the Site Settings page that opens, click Clear Data. This prompts Chrome to delete all locally stored data of the website.
Refresh the website. The browser should probably translate without issue.
Alternatively, you can clear the entire browser cache in cases where Chrome is unable to translate multiple websites. Note that after doing this, you will need to sign in to their website again.
Go to Chrome Settings > Privacy & Security > Clear Browsing Data. In the Clear Browsing Data box that appears, switch to the Advanced tab, set the Time Range to All Time, check the boxes next to ‘Cookies and Site Data’ and ‘Cached Images and Files’, then click Clear Data.
Warning: Uncheck the boxes next to “Passwords and other login data” and “Autofill form data”. Otherwise, Chrome will permanently delete your passwords and autofill data.
Use Google Translate Extension
Despite the fixes above, Chrome’s integrated Google Translate module may not work on certain websites for unknown reasons.
In that case, try using the Google Translate extension instead. You can download it from the Chrome Web Store.
The Google Translate extension allows you to quickly translate entire pages and snippets of text. It also has the ability to send words, sentences or paragraphs directly to the Google Translate website.
You can disable the Google Translate extension and enable it only if Chrome’s integrated Google Translate module does not come into play.
Start Translation
I hope the above troubleshooting tips helped you deal with Chrome’s translation riddles. If you are experiencing frequent problems with the integrated Google Translate module, consider resetting Chrome; this is a great way to start using the browser with a blank page.
Next: Do you find it annoying when YouTube translates video titles? Click on the next link to learn how to stop YouTube from automatically translating video titles.
