Google Chrome gets instant language translation, privacy settings

Google on Tuesday announced that its Chrome web browser a new beta feature allowing for instant machine translation of webpages, without the need for any browser extensions or plug-ins.

Google says the browser will prompt the user when the language of the webpage viewed is different from their preferred language setting, asking if the user wants the page to be translated using Google Translate.

Naturally, translation tools are far from perfect, but Google says it's a step toward making "all the world's information universally accessible in an easy, frictionless way."

The company also announced several new features offering users greater choice and control over privacy.

In addition to Chrome's existing history-less "incognito mode," a new "Privacy" section has been added to Chrome's Options dialog, offering configuration options for browser cookies, images, JavaScript, plug-ins and pop-ups, on a site-by-site basis.