The Free Library is happy to announce the latest addition to our website: the integration of Google Translate!

As part of the Free Library’s strategic plans, it has been a goal to present our website content in multiple languages to cater to the diverse population of our patrons throughout the City of Philadelphia.

The Google Translate drop-down menu can be found throughout our entire website, located in the footer at the bottom of every page.

 

The widget allows users to select a desired language (there are currently 13 languages to choose from). The language preference is saved via a cookie on the web browser during your browsing session, and all pages that are viewed will be automatically translated into the selected language. The widget also allows users to easily change language translation preferences at any time or simply disable the service.

 

You can see the current language selected from the Google Translate header at the top left-hand corner of the webpage.
You can also toggle between the translated language and the original language by clicking on the Show Original button or Translate button.

On the right-hand side of the Google Translate header, you can click on the Options drop-down for more translation options or you can click on the X to disable translation functions.

Another cool feature of Google Translate is the ability for users to contribute their own translations.
If you see a section of our website that doesn't quite translate properly and you fluently speak that particular language, you can hover your cursor over any line of text, and a pop-up box will give you the option of contributing a better translation (you will need to have a Gmail account to do so).

Being that the mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia is to advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity, we believe Google Translate fits perfectly into that vision and hope for it to be a valuable tool for our diverse community.

Try out Google Translate on our website today and share your thoughts in the comments!