Essential Language Technology Resources
Translation tools for navigating life in a new country
The Internet With an Accent
The internet isn’t the same everywhere—or at least, the way people use it isn’t.
I thought it would be identical. Same Google, same logins, same memes. But it isn’t. Some familiar pages just vanish. Others glare at me with “not available in your region.” Even the metaphors feel different—like the internet itself speaks with an accent.
And then there’s the fine print. Pop-ups, requirements, cookies—Europeans handle all of it differently. Your thermostat manual? Six languages, none of them helpful.
It’s one of those small-but-big things about moving here. Another lesson in how the French approach basics differently than in the U.S. Not better, not worse, just…different. And occasionally frustrating.
So instead of yelling at my phone (my default strategy for the first few months), here are a few tools and tricks that have actually helped.
Essential Language Tools
Google Translate
I use this a lot more than anything else. It slips into your browser pretty seamlessly, which makes it invaluable.
Pro tip: when doing something official online, I usually open two windows—one translated and one in the original language. Because sometimes the “translate this page” feature decides that a button isn’t real anymore.
DeepL
For anything serious—immigration papers, lease agreements, or whatever our thermostat is pretending to say—DeepL has been the lifesaver. The free document translation works shockingly well, especially with French bureaucracy’s love of 15-page PDFs.
Microsoft Translator
I barely touch this one, but it’s full of features that could be useful if I ever get ambitious about language learning. For now, it’s sitting on the bench.
Other Settings That Matter
Changing Your App Store Location
Switching your App Store (or Google Play) to France can unlock local apps. But: you might lose subscriptions you’ve already paid for in the U.S. I haven’t done it yet—mostly it seems to only affect grocery delivery—but it’s on the horizon.
Language & Region Settings
Changing your phone’s language to French is a bold move. Potentially useful, but also a recipe for panicked late-night Googling when you can’t find “settings” anymore.
What is useful: adding keyboards in different languages. Much easier, low stakes, and a nice bridge step.
Coding
A French friend once told me that a lot of code languages are based on English, and so it’s helpful to have an understanding of English to be able to code other languages, so learn a language to learn another language, sorta.
and that having to code in a second language may discourage some people. I don’t know if that’s universally true, but it matches my own experience online: language is a bigger barrier than I expected.
Closing Thought
The internet may be global, but living abroad reminds you it still has borders. Some are linguistic, some are bureaucratic, and some are just plain weird. And no translation app has a button for “please just work.”
The internet isn’t the same everywhere—or at least, the way people use it isn’t. It’s just another thing about our move here that I didn’t quite expect, another series of learnings about how the French handle some basic things differently than the US.
And it’s more than just the language.
I expected it to be mostly identical. Same Google, same sites, same logins. But it isn’t. Some familiar pages don’t load. Others refuse to show up based on your IP address. Even the way people talk about or navigate the web seems to follow different metaphors—ways of thinking that don’t always translate.
Even pop-ups, requirements and even cookies are handled differently due to EU rules while your thermostat manual is in six languages, none of them helpful.
So here are a few tools that have actually helped. Not perfect, but better than yelling at your phone.
According to a French friend, a lot of coding is done in English and coding in a non-native language may also pose an additional barrier, potentially discouraging some from pursuing it. While I am not 100% sure of that, language skills definitely impact my ability to get anything done online.
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Essential language tools for me:
I use this a lot more than other translation programs. It works pretty seamlessly and can be integrated into your computer browsers, which is invaluable.
When doing something online in translation, I usually open 2 windows – one translated and one in the original language as some functions really don’t work well when the page is also being translated.
For more serious translations and documents in particular, I use DeepL whose free document translation services have been incredibly helpful with official documents from immigration, for the lease on our apartment, or any other official documents that come up.
It’s also been very helpful with translating manuals for some of our appliances and the thermostat, which remains confusing in whatever language.
I use this a lot less frequently, but there are so many tools incorporated with it that I may start to use it to learn more French, but for right now, I rarely do.
A few other things you might want to try:
Changing the location of your App Store for apple devices or any other platform. This also kind of resets your account. Warning: you may lose your subscriptions in the process. So if you change your location from the US to France, for example, you may lose US-based subscriptions you’ve paid for before they’re done.
At the same time, not changing the location means that there are local apps that “will not be available in your region.” I haven’t changed the location yet, but may some time in the next year. Mostly, it seems to only affect grocery shopping.
Changing your phone’s language is an ambitious step and while it can be very helpful, but it can also incredibly confusing. I’d approach this cautiously depending on how confident you are with your target language.
However, it is definitely useful to add language keyboards to your device.
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