Our genealogy research isn’t always in English. We may feel like we’ve hit a brick wall when a document we desperately need is in a foreign language. If the document is very large, you may want to hire someone to translate it. But if you just need a few words or phrases, Google Translate may be your answer. In this blog post, I’ll give you a few reasons to use this wonderful tool and an example of how I put it to use.
Google Translate can be a lifesaver when it comes to our research. Here are a few reasons you may want to add it to your genealogy research toolbox:
Breaking Language Barriers
Genealogy often leads us to documents in languages we don’t understand. Google Translate becomes invaluable in decoding these items so we can use the information. Birth certificates, marriage records, handwritten letters—each holds a piece of our ancestor’s story, and Google Translate serves as the bridge to decipher their messages.
Convenience
Google Translate is easily accessible online and available as an app, making it a convenient go-to tool for translations on the go. If you’re lucky enough to go on a heritage trip, an app like Google Translate may come in handy. With features like camera translation, it can translate real-world text instantly through your phone’s camera, making signs, menus, and other printed materials understandable.
Learning A Language
Perhaps you want to delve headfirst into your German or French ancestry and become more familiar with the language. Make a list of words that are frequently used in genealogy research and then find their foreign counterpart. Keep this list handy as you research.
A Word Of Caution
While Google Translate is a powerful tool, it’s essential to approach it with caution. It might not always provide precise translations, especially with complex or old-world languages. You might need a human for more complicated documents.
Putting Google Translate To Work
A few years ago I visited Saint Paul’s Lebanon Lutheran Cemetery in Felton, York, Pennsylvania. I have many relatives who are buried there with surnames of Stabley/Stabler, Flinchbaugh, and Sechrist. It was a beautiful day to quietly wander through the headstones and enjoy the peacefulness that surrounded me.
Most of the headstones were in English, but one of my ancestors had a headstone written in German…William Sechrist.
William was my 5th great-grandfather on my dad’s side. He was born in York County, Pennsylvania to a Swiss father and a German mother.
The stone says “Geheiliget zum andenken von William Seachrist er ward geboren den 9ten May 1770 er ist gestorben den 22ten August 1850 er brachte sein alter auf 60 jahre 3 monat und 13 tage.” If you put this in Google translate it comes out as “Dedicated to the memory of William Seachrist He was born 9th May 1770 He died 22nd August 1850 He reached his age 60 years 5 months and 15 days.”
If you do the math, he would have been 80 years old, not 60, so I think the stone carver meant to etch 1830 and not 1850. Just a guess on my part.
Finally
Google translate is a wonderful tool to help the language barrier, but I found two other sites that were helpful for German cemetery words: https://www.quondamexploration.com/german-tombstone-epitaphs and https://www.unlockyourhistory.com/post/2018/10/15/german-in-the-cemetery.
Also, don’t forget about the FamilySearch Wiki. They have wonderful learning aids for foreign languages.
I hope this blog post has given you a reason or two to try translations on your own. It can be just the ticket for furthering your foreign genealogy research.
If you want to learn more about taking photos in the cemetery, check out my blog post here.
Genealogy tip: Genealogy research will eventually lead us to languages we don’t know. Look for tools online to translate for you or hire someone to make sure you get it right the first time.
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