Free SRT-File Translator is an interesting translation application. I wasn't able to get it to work, but it is interesting nonetheless. What this application does is translate SRT subtitle files and other text files using Google Translate or Microsoft Translate, two of the best machine translation services available. This is a great and original idea. Many users have problems finding subtitles for their movies, and translating an SRT file automatically and quickly is a great way to enable them to watch videos in foreign languages .
The problems of this application are apparent when you first launch it. You will see the Translation settings window, where you can choose what translation provider you want to use and some other settings, such as keycode, IP, AppID, and a checkbox that says "I have read and accepted the terms". The average user won't understand most of that.
When you close that window, you will see the main window, where you can load your SRT files. After I loaded mine, I saw the source text added on one of the text panes. I chose the target language and started the process. I was shown four or five different error screens, and then I was taken to a Google web page that explained that there was a problem. I then chose all the other Google Translate options from the settings window to see if they worked, to no avail. I then chose Microsoft Translate, and I was taken to a website that asked me to login with my Live account to get an AppID. Not what you would expect from an end-user application. I believe the problem is that both Google and Microsoft recognize this is an automated application and somehow deny access to the translation engines, so the app is rendered useless.
In short, this is a nice idea for an application, but it just doesn't work like it should.
Comments