How to use Google Docs and Translate to make a Quick Rough Translation of a Modern Language Document (for FREE)

We all know that there is no substitute for knowing the language and that Google translate can make amusing mistakes. However, the ability to quickly make rough translations saves a great deal of time and also allows you to (carefully) engage in language literature that doesn't come up frequently enough to be worth learning, but has that one article you really want to read.

1. Make a good quality PDF scan of the document with one page per scan. (this may mean twice the number of scan pages, but it will save you time in the long run, trust me) I use a piece of paper to blank the page I don't want to copy in each scan. Ensure the scans are straight and all on the same orientation.

2. Save the resulting PDF in Google Drive.

3. Right click on the PDF in Google Drive and [open with] [Google Docs]. This will open a new window in your browser and will take some time - now is a good time to recite some verb conjugations. This is because Google's OCR is turning the scan into text by magic.

4. When you come back there will be a text document created from your scan. If you want you may edit it for format, etc, and find any mistakes Google's OCR has made (there will be a few but Google makes the least of any free OCRs I have tried, by a long chalk). Right click on the Google Doc and [dowload] as a .DocX file.

5. Open Google Translate and choose [Documents]. Upload the .DocX file you have just downloaded. A new window will open with the document text in and it will translate itself before your very eyes. (again this is magic)

6. Smugly read the translation you've made and then use the time you've saved to spend more time reading blogs or annoying other students who are still trying to work.

You're welcome! :-)
Any other time saving tips you have?
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