The Intrusive Translation
Google Chrome is tightly integrated with Google Translate, offering to translate foreign-language web pages automatically. While usually helpful, this integration can sometimes become overly aggressive in the Omnibox (the URL/search bar). If you are attempting to search for a specific foreign term, a brand name that sounds like a foreign word, or a specific piece of code, Chrome might automatically intercept the text you type into the Omnibox and try to translate it into your native language before executing the search. This results in you searching for the translated concept rather than the exact literal string you typed, leading to highly inaccurate search results.
Disabling Omnibox Translation Interception
To stop Google Chrome from automatically translating the text you type into the Omnibox, you need to adjust the browser’s language and translation settings, specifically targeting how it handles unknown terms.
Open Google Chrome and click the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner, then select Settings. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Languages. Scroll down to the Google Translate section. Ensure the setting “Offer to translate pages that aren’t in a language you read” is toggled on, but look for the sub-settings below it. You will see a list titled Never offer to translate these languages. Click the Add languages button. Search for the specific language that Chrome keeps misidentifying your search terms as (for example, if you frequently search for Latin scientific terms, add Latin). Check the box next to the language and click Add. By explicitly telling Chrome never to translate that language, it will stop attempting to intercept and translate those specific strings in the Omnibox, passing your raw text directly to the search engine.