Google Features - Translate Languages and More

Thousands of people use Google every day, at work, at home, or other places. Google offers its users, helpful features that just make everyday tasks like checking the weather just that little bit easier, in this article I will detail a few of those helpful features that may be of use.

1. Convert Units of Measurement - I have always found it difficult to convert different units of measurement, you have got grams, milligrams, and kilograms, it's just too much. Using Google's unit measurement converter has made life so much easier. To convert a unit of measurement all you have to do is type in your number followed by the unit of measurement into the Google search bar, then type in the second unit of measurement e.g. 1 mile in km or 1 mile to km, etc. The same feature works for currency as well, you can search '£20.00 in dollars' and Google will calculate and display the amount in dollars.

2. Translate Languages - This is another good feature provided by Google, which I used quite a lot while studying another language, this could also be used on holiday to translate common phrases. To translate languages search translate into the Google search bar, and a box will appear and ask for your input, as soon as you start typing, the translation will appear. Typically the language on the left would be the language you would like to convert and the language to the right will be the language to translate to.

A list of languages is available for you to choose, to change languages click the drop-down arrows located next to the current language.

There is also a voice button that reads out your text if you need help pronouncing it.

3. Check the Weather - living in the United Kingdom, checking the weather can become a frequent task, British weather changes faster than a baby's diaper. Just like the other features listed, to check the weather search weather followed by your town name. If you have location services enabled then you don't need to type in your location, just type in weather, hit search and Google will bring back the weather for this week.

4. I'm Feeling Lucky - This button can be seen immediately when on the Google home page. When clicked for a search term, the button allows users to be taken straight through to the first result. This could be used to a great effect when searching for YouTube videos. For example, if you are on Google's home page and you want to watch the trailer for the movie Maze Runner, simply type in Maze Runner trailer and click I'm feeling lucky, this will take you to the first link on Google for that search term without having to click anything else. This is a nice method to avoid an extra click.

5. View Sunset and Sunrise Times for Parts of the Globe - This is good for people who travel or are out a lot. If you are away from home you can sometimes feel uneasy or unsafe, knowing when it is going to become dark is extremely helpful for planning when to get back home. To view the current day's sunset or sunrise times, search the name of your chosen location, followed by the word sunset or sunrise.

6. Search Specific Places Nearby - When out and about to find a place to eat, find a petrol station nearby, or any other place, I use the 'near me' search term in Google to find nearby places and directions. To use this, type in the place you are after followed by the words 'near me', for example, 'KFC near me'.

7. Define Words - I frequently use Google to learn new word meanings. By typing the word you want to define followed by the word 'meaning', Google will bring up the various meaning for that word and also show how the word can be used in a sentence. For example, you type 'Electric meaning'.

8. Internet Speed Test - Google can also be used to run an internet speed test for your machine. Search 'internet speed test' and Google will display a button to run the speed test, click on this and the process will start. Once the speed test is complete, Google will display your computer's internet download and upload speeds.

9. Check Football Fixtures - As a football fan I check game fixtures quite often, Google has a nice and easy view for game fixtures and league tables. Search the league of your choice followed by the word 'table' for a view of the league table, or search for a football team name, when the results appear you will see a snippet of the previous and upcoming fixtures. At the bottom of the snippet there will be an arrow icon facing down, click on this to maneuver within the fixture list and get a broader date range.

10. News - To display news information, when you are on a search result page you can click on the news tab at the top, and Google will display news relating to the search term you have written, alternatively to see the latest on general news search 'Latest'.

11. Related Websites - To find similar websites to a website you already know, search Google for the word 'related', followed by a colon character and the website of your choice. For example, if you wanted to find similar websites to B&Q, search related:diy.com as diy.com is B&Q's website URL, Google will then display a list of websites similar to B&Q and not show the B&Q website.

12. Search a Specific Site - Lastly, we have a feature to search a specific site from Google. Type in a search term into Google, then put a colon character followed by the website URL at the end of your search term and hit enter, Google will then bring back any links it has for your search within that website. For example, the search term windows:tekbits.co.uk, will bring back any pages relating to Windows on the Tekbit.co.uk website.