Gmail translates 41 languages

Gmail users can now have their messages translated into 41 language. Google has launched a translation system for its web mail system so users can write messages in their native languages which recipients can translate into their respective native languages.

In a blog posting about the service , Jeff Chin, Product Manager, Google Translate, said: "While our translation system is quite good, machine translation is a challenging problem and we know it's not perfect. However, it can be quite useful in providing a quick gist of a message, especially if you receive a lot of e-mails that aren't in your native language. If the translation is awkward or not quite right, you can quickly return to the original message by clicking 'View original message' link."

To get started, users need to click "settings" in Gmail, then the "labs" tab, and enable "message translation." Chin said the translation service will work for standard edition users without any further configuration. However premier and education edition users will first need their domain admins to enable Gmail labs from the Google apps admin control panel, he said.