Cloud Translation, also marketed as Translation AI, translates text in over 100 languages using neural machine translation, glossary support, and custom models.
What is Cloud Translation (Translation AI)?
Cloud Translation is a fully managed machine translation service that translates text between over 100 languages. It uses Google’s neural machine translation (NMT), built on the same underlying technology as Google Translate but designed for enterprise applications. Compared to older statistical machine translation, NMT delivers more natural, context-aware translations.
The service offers two editions: Basic for standard translations and Advanced (Cloud Translation API v3) for professional localization. Advanced adds glossary support that enforces consistent translation of terminology — product names, technical terms, and brands are translated exactly as defined. For custom models, Advanced today offers NMT customization (training your own NMT model with your own translation examples), Translation LLM customization (tuning an LLM-based translation model), and Adaptive Translation, which works with small reference datasets without training a dedicated model. The previously separate AutoML Translation API has been discontinued; its functionality has been folded into this native Cloud Translation customization.
Document Translation translates complete documents while largely preserving layout and formatting. Batch translation processes larger document volumes. Language detection automatically identifies the source language when unknown.
Billing is usage-based per character. EU regions are available.
Core Features
- Translation between over 100 languages
- Neural machine translation (NMT) and LLM-based translation models
- Glossaries for consistent terminology
- Custom models via NMT customization, Translation LLM customization, and Adaptive Translation
- Document translation with format preservation
- Automatic language detection and batch processing
Typical Use Cases
E-Commerce Internationalization
An online shop localizes product catalogs for multiple markets. Cloud Translation translates product descriptions using glossaries for consistent brand and product names. A custom model trained on industry-specific terms improves translation quality. Updates are translated automatically.
Website Localization
A SaaS company localizes its marketing website. Cloud Translation translates content, and a CMS integration automates the workflow. Translators review and correct output, with feedback flowing into glossary updates. Time-to-market for new languages drops significantly.
Real-Time Chat Translation
A customer service team supports international customers. Chat messages are translated, and agents respond in their own language. Cloud Translation translates bidirectionally, giving customers a seamless experience without language barriers.
Technical Documentation
A software company translates technical documentation. A model customized on existing translations learns domain-specific terminology. Glossaries enforce consistent API names and technical terms. Document Translation largely preserves code formatting.
User-Generated Content
A community platform translates user posts for an international audience. Cloud Translation processes large volumes of content, with automatic language detection identifying source languages. Content becomes available in multiple languages promptly.
Integration with innFactory
As a certified Google Cloud partner, innFactory supports you with Cloud Translation: API integration, glossary creation, migration of legacy AutoML Translation resources, custom model training, and localization workflows.
Contact us for a consultation on Cloud Translation and Google Cloud localization.
Available Tiers & Options
Basic
- 100+ languages
- Low cost
- Quick integration
- No custom models
Advanced
- Custom models (NMT- and LLM-based)
- Glossary support
- Document translation
- Higher accuracy
- Higher cost
Typical Use Cases
Technical Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google Cloud Translation (Translation AI)?
Cloud Translation, often referred to as Translation AI, is a machine translation service that translates text into over 100 languages. It uses neural machine translation (NMT) as well as LLM-based models for natural translations and supports glossaries for consistent terminology.
What is the difference between Basic and Advanced?
Basic offers standard translation for 100+ languages at low cost, without custom models. Advanced (Cloud Translation API v3) adds glossary support, document translation, and the ability to train or tune your own NMT or Translation LLM models. Advanced is recommended for professional localization.
What happened to AutoML Translation?
The standalone AutoML Translation API was discontinued by Google (deprecated in 2024, shut down in 2025). Its custom-model functionality lives on within Cloud Translation Advanced, via NMT customization and Translation LLM customization. Existing AutoML resources can be migrated to native Cloud Translation resources.
Can I enforce custom terminology?
Yes, glossaries let you define terminology that is translated consistently. Product names, technical terms, or brands are translated exactly as defined. Glossaries support a large number of entries per language pair.
Does Cloud Translation support document translation?
Yes, Advanced supports translation of documents (e.g. PDF, DOCX, PPTX) with largely preserved formatting. Batch processing enables translation of larger document collections.
How is Cloud Translation billed?
Billing is usage-based per translated character, with Basic being cheaper than Advanced. Custom models and LLM-based options have their own pricing components. Details are available in the official Google Cloud pricing list.
Note: All product information on this page has been compiled with care, but is provided without guarantee and may be outdated or incomplete. Cloud services evolve rapidly — features, pricing, SLAs, and availability change frequently. Authoritative and up-to-date information can only be found on the official product page of Google Cloud (official documentation). This page does not represent an offer by Google Cloud.
