Teacher Li: How to choose translation tools after bypassing the Great Firewall, and what are the recommendations?

When browsing news, consulting data, or even writing articles after bypassing the Great Firewall, translation tools are often our important bridge to communicate with the world. However, not all translation tools are equally reliable. When choosing, we need to pay special attention to the following points: Security and privacy -- This is particularly important for users within China. Avoid using translation tools with Chinese-backed backgrounds, such as Baidu Translate, Tencent Fanyi Jun, Youdao Translate, and Immersive Translate, to prevent circumvention behavior from being tracked or privacy leaks. If you need to process sensitive files or unpublished content, it is recommended to use local tools to avoid exposing sensitive content. Translation quality -- Different tools vary greatly in accuracy and fluency, which to some extent affects our understanding of information. Convenience -- Some tools can translate an entire webpage with one click, while others require manual copy and pasting. Matching use scenarios -- Browsing news, translating academic articles, and processing sensitive files require different suitable tools.

In summary, we recommend using the following tools for translation:

1. Google Translate (Simple and fast, low translation accuracy, suitable for quickly translating websites and news) Pros:

2. Simple and fast, can be used directly through email in the Chrome browser.

3. Many languages, widest application range. Cons:

4. Average accuracy, proper nouns often have translation errors, but this does not affect understanding.

5. Privacy risk: Using Chrome or Google Translate via a Google account increases the risk of data correlation. How to use:

6. Set Chinese as the preferred language in the Chrome browser (in Chrome settings, click 'Languages' on the left list, add 'Chinese' and drag it to the very top).

7. Right-click anywhere on the blank space of a foreign language webpage and select 'Translate to Chinese'.

8. You can also manually copy text to Google Translate: translate.google.com

9. DeepL (Medium translation accuracy, some features require payment, suitable for higher precision translation) Pros:

10. Translation quality: Higher compared to Google Translate.

11. Privacy protection: EU privacy protection policy, paid version promises not to save input data. Cons:

12. Character limit: The free version has many restrictions on single-input text, making it inconvenient to directly translate long articles.

13. Fewer languages: Currently only supports 20-30 languages, insufficient coverage for minor languages.

14. User experience: Even the paid version of the webpage translation extension is not as smooth as Google Translate. How to use:

15. You can manually copy and translate text directly on the web version of DeepL at deepl.com/en/translator.

16. You can also search for DeepL in the Chrome browser extensions (chrome://extensions/) and install the plugin; the paid version can translate entire webpages.

17. ChatGPT (High translation quality, more features, but registration is relatively cumbersome, suitable for precise translation, checking, and verification) Pros:

18. Translation quality: Faithful, expressive, and elegant. ChatGPT is almost the pinnacle of various (free) online translations, and can understand based on context.

19. Broader use: ChatGPT can not only translate news, but also help collect relevant information and conduct simple checks on news.

20. Image translation: ChatGPT performs exceptionally well in non-text translation. Compared to Google Translate, the image recognition accuracy is much higher. Cons:

21. Troublesome registration: Registration, or at least linking an email, is required for normal use.

22. Privacy concerns: Translation data is transmitted to OpenAI servers, free user data is used for training by default, and it easily leaves traces of cross-service data association.

23. Untuned ChatGPT may over-polish the translation, causing deviations from the original text. How to use:

24. Register ChatGPT at chatgpt.com/auth/login after verifying an (overseas) email and (overseas) phone number respectively.

25. Open ChatGPT via chat.openai.com, enter the command 'Please help me translate into Chinese' or the advanced command 'Please help me translate this article in a news reporting style and fact-check it', then copy the text to be translated into the dialog box, click confirm, and wait for the result.

26. Locally deployed translation tools such as LibreTranslate and Argos Translate (High security, low accuracy, suitable for highly sensitive content) Pros:

27. High security: Open-source and locally deployed, no need to worry about privacy issues. Cons:

28. Lower translation quality: Not as good as DeepL or ChatGPT, and even slightly inferior to Google Translate.

29. Deployment and configuration are relatively complex, making it difficult for non-technical users to get started. How to use: Install Argos Translate: argosopentech.com LibreTranslate self-hosted deployment tutorial (requires a local server) details: github.com/LibreTranslate... Recommended content to browse after bypassing the Great Firewall:

Mainstream Media: Initium Media: theinitium.com -- Independent Chinese media, in-depth reports and features. The New York Times Chinese: m.cn.nytimes.com -- Chinese reports from major international newspapers. Deutsche Welle (DW): dw.com/zh/ -- German international broadcaster, focusing on news and socio-political current events. BBC Chinese: bbc.com -- British Broadcasting Corporation, global news and investigative reporting. Reuters: reuters.com -- One of the world's largest news agencies, mainly in English. Financial Times Chinese (FT Chinese): ftchinese.com -- International financial, economic, and political news. The Reporter: twreporter.org -- Taiwan's in-depth investigative reporting media, covering issues such as the environment, labor, and vulnerable groups. ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists): icij.org -- Global transnational investigation projects.

Instagram / Threads: Platforms commonly used by overseas young users. Following appropriate accounts can extend to discover more similar content. Do not link personal information when registering; 'political commentary' accounts and personal life accounts should be kept separate. Threads is the text version of Instagram.

Recommended accounts to follow: @northern_square: instagram.com/northern_squar... -- Public discussion space for the overseas Chinese community. @citizensdailycn: instagram.com/citizensdailyc... -- Uses memes to critique current social ills. @mangmang_editorial: instagram.com/mangmang_edito... -- Independent civil publication that emerged after the White Paper Movement. @outsight_china: instagram.com/outsight_china/ -- Compares different formulations of the same news in domestic and foreign media. @newnewscn: instagram.com/newnewscn/ -- News platform focusing on current affairs and social issues. @diyinpodcast: instagram.com/diyinpodcast/ -- Podcast exploring social and cultural topics. @women4china: instagram.com/women4china/ -- Media account from a feminist perspective. @tears_in_rainbows: instagram.com/tears_in_rainb... -- Collects memories of the Simplified Chinese internet. @gonglaoxiaobao: instagram.com/gonglaoxiaobao/ -- Focuses on contemporary migrant workers and grassroots laborers.

Other Websites: Matters: matters.town -- Decentralized blog, uploaded content is automatically put on the chain and cannot be deleted, higher user quality. China Digital Times: chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/ -- Dedicated to aggregating and spreading censored information on the Chinese internet. iyouport: iyouport.substack.com -- Content involves digital security, anti-surveillance, activism, political and economic analysis, etc., aiming to help readers understand the relationship between technology, power, and social movements. New Bloom: newbloommag.net -- Founded by Taiwanese youth, focusing on East Asian social movements and politics. Tool Websites:

Anna's Arch

ive: annas-archive.org -- The world's largest open book and academic database, providing free downloads of e-books, papers, magazines, etc. Jitsi: jitsi.org An open-source video conferencing website, no installation or registration required, with strong anonymity. Cryptpad: cryptpad.org An open-source, end-to-end encrypted online collaborative office tool.