Kindle, Kobo and Tolino
Can Kindle translate a whole book?
No. A Kindle translates a word or a highlighted passage, not a book. To read a whole book in your language, translate the file first and put the result on your e-reader, ideally with the original next to it so you can check any sentence.
What your e-reader can do
Kindle
Press and hold a word or highlight a passage, and the Kindle can show a translation in a pop-up. That is useful for a word or a sentence that stops you. It stays a look-up: the book itself does not change language, and doing it for a whole chapter would be slow.
The name Kindle Translate causes some confusion. It is a service for authors on Amazon’s publishing platform, who use it to sell a translated edition of their own book. A reader cannot point it at a book they bought.
Kobo and Tolino
Both let you look up words in dictionaries you install on the device, and neither translates a whole book. E-reader features change with updates, so check your own model’s settings, but the answer is the same: a look-up, not a translation.
How to read a whole book in your language on an e-reader
- Start with a DRM-free file: an EPUB, a PDF or a Word document. Project Gutenberg, Wikisource and DRM-free ebook shops are good sources.
- Upload it and choose your language. The opening pages are translated for free, so you see the result first.
- Translate the whole book and download it as an EPUB, or AZW3 or MOBI for Kindle.
- Put it on the device. The Kindle and Kobo guide covers Send to Kindle, USB and which file suits which device.
On an e-reader, each paragraph of the original is followed by its translation, because the screen is too small for two columns. You read on in either language and the other one is right there.
Why keep the original in the file
A machine translation is good enough to follow a book, not to trust every line. With the original next to it you can check a sentence that reads oddly, see the author’s own words, and pick up the language if you are learning it. It is also the one thing a built-in look-up can’t give you: the whole text in both languages, at once. More in what is a parallel text?
Which books this works for
- Works: public-domain classics, DRM-free purchases, your own documents and PDFs with selectable text.
- Works, with a check: scanned PDFs, which are read with text recognition. The preview shows how it came out.
- Doesn’t work: books locked to the Kindle, Kobo, Tolino or Apple Books stores.
Questions
Can Kindle translate a whole book?
No. A Kindle can translate a word or a highlighted passage while you read, but it has no button that turns a book into another language. To read a whole book in your language, you need a translated file on the device.
What is Kindle Translate?
Kindle Translate is Amazon's tool for authors publishing through Kindle Direct Publishing. It makes a translated edition of the author's own book for sale. It is not something a reader can run on a book they bought.
Can I translate a book I bought on Amazon?
Usually not. Books bought from the Kindle store are locked to Amazon's apps and devices with DRM, so they cannot be opened by another tool, and we don't explain how to remove it. Books from DRM-free shops, public-domain classics and your own documents all work.
Which file do I need for Kindle?
Upload the book as an EPUB or PDF. When the translation is done, download an EPUB to send through Amazon's Send to Kindle, or an AZW3 or MOBI to copy over USB. The guide to bilingual books on Kindle has the steps.
How much does it cost?
The preview of the opening pages is free and needs no card, and a free account starts with 50 pages. 50 pages free, then from $5 a month. A 200-page book: $3, in one piece.