Step 1. 

The most basic way is to copy and paste a Tweet into Google Translate. A translation from Google is usually pretty reliable, but remember that it may not be entirely accurate since it may not apply grammar rules.  

Step 2. 

Ask your Tweeps for help! Share the Tweet with your followers and ask if anyone can help you translate. Likewise, if you have a photo or video that needs translating, see who can help you out. If you get multiple responses, compare them to check for mistakes. 

Step 3. 

Add a translate icon to Twitter. Twitter Translate is a Greasemonkey script that will automatically translate Tweets in any other language using Google Translate. Greasemonkey scripts allow you to customize the way a web page displays or behaves by adding small bits of JavaScript. Note: you must be using the new version of Twitter to use this tool. 

For Chrome, click on this install link to get the script. Chrome supports Greasemonkey scripts right out of the box, meaning you don't need to take any other steps to install it. You are ready to go!

For Firefox, install Greasemonkey as a browser add-on. Once you download the add-on, it will confirm that you want to install Greasemonkey, and then will ask to restart your browser. Restart your browser, then go to the specific userscripts page for Twitter Translate and click on the “Install now” button. 

For Safari, try the TwitterTranslate extension. 

The source of the script is coded to translate Tweets into English, but you can alter the source code manually to any other language code that is available.

Once you install the script, restart your browser and log into Twitter. When you hover over any Tweet in a foreign language, you will see a new Translate button below it (next to Favorite, Retweet, Reply). Click on Translate and the Tweet will be automatically replaced with a Tweet in your own language. 

Step 4. 

Use Twitterbots. Twitterbots are special Twitter accounts that you can direct message or reply to and automatically get information back. 

For TweeTrans send a reply to @tweetrans using the following format: @tweetrans 2en your message here

“2en” is the code for the language you want to translate to (en = English). After that, add a space and enter your message. The message can consist of a word, a phrase, or a sentence. Normally, the language detector will be able to automatically detect the language you are translating from. Check the TweeTrans site for all of the valid language codes.

Alternatively, you can specify both the "translate from" and the "translate to" using the following format: @tweetrans en2es your message here

"en2es" is the code for the language pair you want to translate from (en = English) and to (es = Spanish).

In a few minutes, you will receive an @Reply with the translation. 

Twanslate is another Twitterbot. Follow @Twanslate, then send a direct message with the Tweet your want translated and the language code. You can find all of the language codes at the bottom of the Twanslate site. They will reply to you with the translation.

Step 5. 

Translate your own Tweets with Twinslator or Tweet Translate. All you have to do is type in your Tweet and select the language that you want it translated into. 

Step 6. 

If you use a third-party Twitter client, it may have a translate option. 

For Tweetdeck, hover over the Twitter user’s avatar, the select Other Actions --> Tweet --> Translate. The Tweet will be automatically translated. 

For Hootsuite, you can try out a Greasemonkey script that will translate Tweets for you. While the iPhone version of Hootsuite does have a translate option, the web dashboard doesn't have one automatically integrated into the platform yet. 

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