Translate From Kindle App Mac

One way to easily translate webpages is to use the free Microsoft Translator app on your iPhone or iPad. There is no Microsoft Translator app for the Mac. Here's how to use Microsoft Translator app.

Reading is one life’s most essential activities. Especially nowadays, when we regularly process a mind-boggling amount of information, whether it’s for work, study, or simply pleasure.

With all the technological progress the way we read is changing too. You hardly see anyone today with hardcovers or printed newspapers, which have been mostly written off as expensive and inefficient. Instead, most of what we read is either hosted online or downloaded directly to our devices.

While it’s possible to read on our phones — Kindle e-readers, first introduced by Amazon in 2007, are a much better option, featuring a comfortable 6-inch glare-free ink display and an unbeatable 30-day battery life. In addition, close to 10 million books are already available on Kindle through Amazon — a few lifetimes worth. But is there a way to read them without getting a Kindle device?

What Is A Kindle Reader For Mac?

Good news is you can read Kindle books on Mac, using the Kindle Mac app. What you need to do here is download Kindle for Mac and all your previous electronic Amazon book purchases will become instantly available on your desktop or laptop.

To download Kindle app on Mac for free:

Books
  1. Open App Store from the Applications folder

  2. Search for Kindle

  3. Click Get

  4. Launch Kindle on Mac

When you launch the app for the first time, you’ll be prompted to enter your Amazon Kindle login, which should be the same as your regular Amazon password. This Kindle sign in will happen only once to connect your device to your cloud Kindle library. In a second you should see all your Kindle books downloaded to your Mac.

How to use a Kindle reader for Mac

Amazon made sure to keep the Kindle App Store process as seamless as possible to entice the largest amount of people to sign up for Kindle on Mac. And once you see all your books on your Kindle for Mac, using the app is very easy.

If you’re wondering where are Kindle books stored on Mac, they are by default located in the cloud Kindle reader, unless you specifically download them to your machine. But let’s break this all down step by step.

What do you do in case you don’t have any books on your new Kindle app for Mac? Just buy some on Amazon:

  1. Go to amazon.com and search for an interesting title

  2. Make sure to choose the Kindle Edition

  3. Check out with your purchase and the book will be added to your Kindle reader for Mac automatically

Once you have some books in your Kindle Mac app, you can download them to be read offline:

  1. Right-click on any book

  2. Select Download

  3. Double-click the book to start reading

  4. Right-click again and select Remove from Device when done

With time, you’ll likely accumulate a large Kindle book library and, to make it more manageable, your Kindle on Mac lets you organize everything into collections:

  1. Click on the plus (+) icon next to Collections

  2. Select New Collection

  3. Write down the collection’s title

  4. Drag and drop the books into the newly create collection

You can create collections for the books already read, or the ones you’re still planning to read. Get creative!

Mac

It’s worth mentioning that avid readers might notice a sharp increase in their book spending once they get used to their Kindle for Mac. A great way to save here (and read even more) is to try Kindle Unlimited, which offers all-you-can-read books for Kindle for about $10 a month.

There are a few negative sides to the Kindle app for Mac too, however. For example, you can’t really export any books out of the app to read with other apps, since most of them are DRM-protected. Likewise, you can’t import your books into the Kindle reader for Mac. Well, at least the app is free! And if you don’t want to use the Kindle Mac app at all, you can still access your books using the cloud Kindle reader.

How to use the cloud Kindle reader

For those who only need to read on Mac occasionally, the cloud Kindle reader is the perfect solution:

  1. Go to read.amazon.com

  2. Use your regular Kindle sign in

  3. Double-click any book in your library to read it

The cloud Kindle reader generally mirrors all the features of the Kindle for Mac, with a notable exception of collections. So if you haven’t been previously using collections that often, reading in the cloud might be no different.

How to focus while reading on Mac

One indisputable bonus of having an actual Kindle device is not being distracted by all the notifications and other non-stop processes that are continuously happening on your Mac. But all you need to counter this is get an app that will eliminate all distractions.

HazeOver is the most perfect distraction dimmer for your screen. At the click of a button, it focuses all your attention on the currently active app window and sends everything else far into the background (saving you some battery life in the process). You can also precisely control the difference between your active window and background. Perfect!

How to take notes on Mac like a pro

Not all of us read for pleasure all of the time. Quite often we need to read something and take extensive notes: doing research, working, or studying for an exam. This is where some specialized annotation software with features like mind-mapping and flashcards can really help.

MarginNote is by far the best research companion out there. This powerful app lets you organize book notes from across your library in a single mind map, turn notes into flashcards for quick study sessions, export and import multiple note formats, and look up information with a built-in research browser. Finally you can collect all your notes from all the sources in a single intuitive app.

How to read the news all in one place

One area in which the Kindle Mac app lacks significantly is news-reading. Of course, today you can just visit most news sources online, but has that ever happened to you that you went down the rabbit hole of mostly irrelevant subjects for hours?

NewsReader is everything you like about the news without any fluff. Simply connect any websites, blogs, and publications to this news reader and it will automatically source all the updates via a timely RSS system. Plus, you can easily create custom collections and tailor the reading experience to exactly how you want it to be.

To create a new feed in NewsReader:

  1. Click the plus (+) icon in the bottom-left of the app

  2. Choose either to “Add new Feed” if you have a direct URL or “Search new Feeds” if you want to look for one

  3. Paste the address or type in the name of the source you’re looking for

  4. Click Add Feed

To sum up, if you want to read Kindle books on Mac, you just need to download Kindle for Mac app and enjoy the experience, or read online just as easily. But don’t forget to enter full concentration mode with HazeOver, write down interesting ideas with MarginNote, and maybe even get your daily news fix with NewsReader.

Best of all, HazeOver, MarginNote, and NewsReader are available to you absolutely free via Setapp, a platform for more than 170 essential Mac apps for solving every kind of problem out there, be it GIF creation (Gifox) or music-making (n-Track Studio). Try Setapp today at no cost and see for yourself.

Sick of running into roadblocks while you read?

It’s exciting to start a book in your target language, but every new word or strange expression can halt you in your tracks.

If you have to flip through a dictionary or browse through online translators every time it happens, reading in your target language will quickly become a chore that you avoid.

We’re here to make things easier.

By reading on a Kindle with an integrated foreign language dictionary, you can just tap your way through confusing passages. You’ll learn new words in context while you read, making it both more fun and more effective.

Ready for some smoother roads?


Why Bother with a Dictionary?

But wait, you may be asking, why get a new dictionary when I could just use Google Translate?

While Google Translate and other services like it are getting better, they still have a tendency to translate word-by-word instead of grasping the “big picture.” And even if you’re only asking it to translate an individual word, it might not give you every meaning that word carries.

These types of tools are great for a situation that calls for a speedy translation, like when you’re in a grocery store and need to buy milk or eggs in another country, but cannot be depended on for consistent accuracy when you’re reading on your Kindle.

By contrast, a good dictionary provides much more useful information as you’re reading. Along with the definition, it tells you what part of speech a word is (noun, verb, adverb, adjective, etc.) and maybe has a picture to go along with it. It can also tell you how a word is used and provide example sentences.

That way, you’ll quickly understand what the word means in the context of your e-book, plus how to use it yourself in your own target language communication.

Best of all, Kindle foreign language dictionaries are just as portable and convenient as the Kindle itself. Many of us have e-readers and tablets these days, and their appeal to a language learner lies in the fact that they’re lightweight and easily transportable. Provided you remember to charge it up, a Kindle is much easier to carry around than a traditional paperback book and dictionary.

And as we’ll show you below, you don’t even have to flip between your dictionary and e-book—the Kindle makes it possible to integrate dictionary definitions with what you’re reading. You can even load multiple dictionaries onto your Kindle, either different editions so you can decide which one you like best or different languages.

What Foreign Language Dictionaries Are Available on Kindle?

We language learners are fortunate, because there is a multitude of Kindle foreign language dictionaries available for download. Here’s just a sampling for some common languages:

  • Spanish: HarperCollins’ Spanish-English Kindle dictionary
  • Chinese: Tuttle Learner’s Chinese-English dictionary
  • German: HarperColling German-English dictionary
  • French: Merriam-Webster’s French-English dictionary
  • Italian: Merriam-Webster’s Italian-English dictionary
Kindle

If you’re a beginner learner and are reading books in a foreign language for the first time, a translation dictionary like the ones listed above is the best tool to have on hand. It’ll help you learn new words without getting lost or overwhelmed.

There are a few steps involved but it’s quite a simple process.

1. Download the Dictionary

First, you’re going to need to be connected to Wi-Fi and enter the Kindle bookshop. Search for a dictionary in the foreign language you’re learning. You can search in English (this will likely bring up bilingual dictionaries, for the most part) or you can search in your target language—for example, dictionnaire français (French dictionary) to find authentic French Kindle dictionaries.

You can also browse through the Amazon Best Sellers Kindle Default Dictionaries page. (More on default dictionaries below.)

If you’re feeling brave, you can even simply change your Kindle device language, and a keyboard and default dictionary for that language will automatically be downloaded. Plus, you’ll get some great practice navigating your Kindle in your target language!

Once you’ve found your dictionary, you’ll need to purchase it and it’ll take a minute or two to download onto your Kindle. Another great thing about Kindle is that their e-books are usually cheaper than a paper or hardback version of the same book.

Alternatively, you can browse and download a dictionary from your computer, and then sync your Kindle to your computer to access the dictionary that way, using the cable provided with your Kindle. Here’s Amazon’s guide to transferring books from the computer to Kindle.

2. Change the Default Dictionary

In order to use your dictionary while you’re reading, you’ll need to update your Kindle’s “default dictionary.” The exact process depends somewhat on which Kindle device you have, but essentially you’ll need to:

  • Go to your device’s Settings
  • Select the Language and Dictionaries option

Translation Apps For Mac

  • Select your new foreign language dictionary from the list of downloaded dictionaries

3. Get Your Bookworm On!

Now that your default dictionary has been updated, you’re ready to start using it while you read!

Open up a foreign-language e-book on your Kindle. Whenever you encounter a word you don’t recognize, just tap it.

A summary definition from your new foreign language dictionary will appear. You can then click “full definition” for more information.

Easy!

Here are some tips to get even more out of your Kindle and Kindle dictionary while reading in your target language:

  • Enlarge for readability: You can alter the font size on the Kindle “pages,” enlarging it to make reading easier. This is easily done from the Kindle menu. Simply scroll down and select “change letter size.” A variety of sizes are available, so choose the best one for your eyesight.
  • Supplement your reading with FluentU: This app works just like a Kindle dictionary, by providing instant definitions to your foreign language entertainment—but for video! FluentU provides real-world videos in your target language, like movie trailers, music videos, inspiring talks and more, with a dictionary feature and other tools built right in.

Just click any word in a video’s interactive captions and you’ll get an instant definition, translation and you’ll even hear a native pronunciation. FluentU will also show you other videos the word appears in, so you understand how to use it in any context. FluentU then provides flashcards and exercises to make sure you remember the new vocabulary after you’re done watching.

Check out a free trial on your next reading break to keep the fun learning going.

  • Use bookmarks to boost your vocabulary:Tap the bookmark icon on the upper right corner of the screen to save a page for later. This is great for keeping track of new words you want to review later.

Translate From Kindle App Mac Free

  • Make a vocabulary list: You can also use the Notes tool to keep track of new vocabulary, jot down language questions or leave study reminders for yourself. Press and hold a word or phrase, then hit More and Add Note.

When learning a new skill, like a language, it’s crucial to get the right tools to make the job easier.

You know a carpenter will have all the tools they need to create a beautiful wooden cabinet, so shouldn’t you equip yourself with all the tools you need to learn a language?

With Kindle, using a dictionary is quick and easy for the technology enthusiast and language learner alike.

And One More Thing…

Want to take a closer look at FluentU?

With FluentU, you learn real languages—the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:

FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.

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Didn’t catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.

Google Translate For Kindle

You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s “quiz mode.” Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

And FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.

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If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn languages with real-world videos.

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