Dictionary.Net

We all need to check the meaning of a word or a sentence in a foreign language from time-to-time. And for those quick translations, Dictionary.NET is a great tool.

Dictionary.NET makes use of the technology behind Google Translator to offer you instant translations between more than 50 different languages, in all possible combinations. The program is meant to detect the languages automatically, though I have to say this feature didn’t work that well for me.

Dictionary.NET doesn’t require installation, and runs unnoticed in the background. You can open it with a keyboard shortcut, a mouse combination, or from the program’s icon on the System Tray, and then enter whatever word or sentence you want to translate. Another option probably easier, is selecting a given word or sentence and then using the predefined keyboard shortcut or mouse combination to bring Dictionary.NET up with the translation already loaded.

That said, you should bear in mind that Dictionary.NET is still an automatic translator that doesn’t produce perfect results. As long as you don’t need professional translations, Dictionary.NET works perfectly fine for quick dictionary look-ups.