When I Put My Mouse Over a Word it Automatically Translates it for Me
Google Translate is Google's powerful foreign-language translation application, which, at the time of this writing, can translate any Web page or snippet of text in 64 different languages. Google's Chrome browser can automatically translate entire websites with the application built-in, but if you're seeing pop-up translations of foreign-language words when you hover your cursor over them on Web pages in Firefox or Internet Explorer, you probably have the Google Toolbar installed as an add-on.
Other People Are Reading
-
The Google Toolbar
-
The Google Toolbar is a browser add-on for Internet Explorer or Firefox that adds a horizontal toolbar with a variety of special browser helps and extensions to your browser. The tools include a single-word translator that translates individual words into your default language when you hover your mouse over them. Because the software often comes bundled with other programs, you may have installed the Google Toolbar without realizing it. You also may have installed it directly from the Google Toolbar website.
Checking for the Toolbar
-
You can check to see if you've installed the Google Toolbar in both Internet Explorer and Firefox by clicking "View" in the top menu, then hovering your mouse over "Toolbars" in the drop-down menu that appears. If you see "Google Toolbar" in the list that expands to the right of the drop-down Toolbars menu, you have Google Toolbar installed on your browser, and that's almost certainly the reason your browser automatically translates foreign-language words in a pop-up box when you hover your mouse over them.
-
Disable the Translator
-
If you'd like to keep the Google Toolbar installed on your browser, but don't want to see foreign-language words translated when you hover your mouse cursor over them, you can disable the Translate feature by clicking the wrench icon in the toolbar, and then clicking the "Tools" tab. Unchecking the box next to "Translates" and then clicking the "Save" button turns off the automatic translation feature on Web pages you visit.
Uninstalling the Toolbar
-
You can easily disable and uninstall the Google Toolbar by clicking the downward-pointing arrow next to the wrench button in the toolbar, and then clicking "Uninstall" in the drop-down menu that appears. Clicking the "Uninstall the Google Toolbar" button in the pop-up dialog box and then following the on-screen instructions uninstalls the software. This automatically removes the toolbar and disables the pop-up translation feature, though some browsers may require you to close and restart the browser before the changes become permanent.
Other Removal Options
-
In Firefox, you can also disable or uninstall the Google Toolbar by clicking "Tools" in the top menu, then clicking "Add-ons." In the Extensions tab in the pop-up box that appears, scroll down to the row that says "Google Toolbar." You can temporarily disable it by clicking the "Disable" button, or uninstall it altogether by clicking "Uninstall." You may have to restart your browser to make the changes permanent so that you no longer see the pop-up translations.
You can also remove the software from your hard drive through the Add/Remove Programs feature in your Windows Control Panel, which you can call up by clicking the "Start" button in the lower left corner of the screen, clicking "Control Panel" and then "Programs." Finally, you must click the Google Toolbar in the list of programs to call up on-screen instructions for uninstalling the software.
Other Causes
-
If you're using the CometBird browser, an open-source freeware alternative to Firefox and Internet Explorer, automatic word translation on mouse-over is one of the built-in features of the browser, and cannot be disabled in the browser at the time of this writing.
If you find no trace of Google Toolbar anywhere on your browser or hard drive, you may have installed another browser add-on with a pop-up word translator on mouse-over feature. You can see which add-ons your browser has by clicking "Tools" in the top menu, then clicking "Add-ons" in Firefox, or "Manage Add-ons," if you're using Internet Explorer.
-
