Translating text from English to German using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome

Both Firefox and Chrome now include built-in translation tools, so you no longer need separate add-ons or extensions for basic page or text translation. Here's how to use them.

Using Firefox's Built-in Translation
  1. Automatic detection: When you visit a page in a language other than your default, Firefox automatically shows a translation icon in the address bar (top-right area).
  2. Translate the page: Click the icon, select German as your target language, and click "Translate." Firefox performs the translation entirely on your device — no text is sent to the cloud, so your data stays private.
  3. Translate a selection: To translate just a portion of text, highlight it, right-click, and choose "Translate Selection to German."
  4. First-time setup: The first time you translate into a given language, Firefox may need to download a small language pack. This also enables offline translation afterward.
  5. Manage settings: You can manage installed languages and translation behavior under Settings → General → Language and Appearance → Translations.
Note: Firefox's older "Firefox Translations" add-on has been phased out in favor of this built-in feature, so third-party add-ons like "To Google Translate," "Mate Translate," or "ImTranslator" are generally no longer necessary.

Using Chrome's Built-in Translation
  1. Automatic detection: Chrome typically detects when a page is in a foreign language and shows a translate icon in the address bar.
  2. Translate the page: Click the icon and select German as the target language.
  3. Manual trigger: If the icon doesn't appear automatically, right-click anywhere on the page and select "Translate to German."
  4. Translate a selection: Highlight specific text, right-click, and choose the translate option to translate just that passage.
  5. Manage settings: Go to Settings → Languages to toggle Google Translate on/off and manage which languages should always or never be translated.
Note: The separate Google Translate extension is no longer required for standard use, since this functionality is now built directly into Chrome.

Using these methods, you can easily translate text from English to German while browsing with Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. The same applies of course to all other languages like Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, ... and many many more. Bear this in mind when studying our online documentation here or any of the valuable articles in the ILX portal, directly try it with this article.