Indonesian to English
Translate a Indonesian book into English, and keep the Indonesian
Upload an Indonesian novel, a classic from the early twentieth century or a book of today, and read it with English beside every paragraph, whether you want the story in English or the Indonesian with help one glance away.
Hari yang panas itu berangsur-angsur menjadi dingin, karena matahari, raja siang itu, akan masuk ke dalam peraduannya, ke balik Gunung Sibualbuali, yang menjadi watas dataran tinggi Sipirok yang bagus itu.
The hot day was slowly turning cool, for the sun, that king of the daytime, was about to go to its bed behind Mount Sibualbuali, which marks the edge of the fair Sipirok highlands.
Langit di sebelah barat pun merah kuning rupanya, dan sinar matahari yang turun itu nampaklah di atas puncak kayu yang tinggi-tinggi, indah rupanya, sebagai disepuh dengan emas juwita.
The western sky turned red and gold, and the light of the setting sun lay over the tops of the tall trees, beautiful to see, as if gilded with the finest gold.
How it works
Upload the book, choose English, and look at the free preview of the opening pages, side by side. If it reads well, translate the whole book and read it in the browser, or download it as a PDF, an EPUB, or a Kindle file. More about translating a book.
Where to find Indonesian books
Indonesian Wikisource has early novels such as Azab dan Sengsara and Sitti Nurbaya for free. Your own DRM-free EPUB, a text-based PDF or a Word file all work.
Reading Indonesian with English beside it
No tense, no he or she
Indonesian verbs do not change for past or present, and dia means both "he" and "she". English has to choose every time. With the original beside it you can see where the translation decided, and check it against the story.
Old spellings
Books from before the spelling reforms write oe for u, dj for j and tj for c, so Soekarno is Sukarno and djalan is jalan. The English beside them keeps an older book as easy to follow as a new one.
Questions
Can I translate an Indonesian book into English?
Yes. Upload a DRM-free EPUB, a text-based PDF or a Word file, choose English, and check the free preview of the opening pages before translating the whole book.
Can I learn Indonesian with it?
Yes: read the Indonesian first and look across only when you need to, or hide the English until you tap it. The free library also has Indonesian stories by level.