Google recently unveiled the ability to translate documents in Google Docs to other languages (post here).  You should be warned though.  It’s probably best not to rely on any online translation service.  They do a miserable job at conveying the intended message satisfactorily.  This is one of the few areas where it’s best to rely on humans for accurate translation.  Computer translation is no better than voice recognition software, often more nuisance and hype, than a trustworthy offering.

Our school website uses a translation engine on the content on the pages, and when I asked Spanish speakers whether the translation was satifactory, the answer was "No."  It seems translation is a gimmick for sales on the most part.  Sure, it’s nice to see the option available as opposed to no option at all.  But I wonder if anyone actually benefits from the option to translate, for the time it takes to develop.   It seems appealing to say that a button will translate the content s of a document into another language, and then another thing altogether when the speaker of this language has to translate the pseudo-hodgepodge created.  With idioms, slang, and the subtlety of language, I doubt translation services will ever perform the translation task up to par.