I'll second the motion from Vera -- PLEASE don't recommend Babelfish to anyone; it's a bad joke, at best. So far, Google_translate is the best of a bad lot. Have found no translator that handles idioms, slang, "local-isms". LEO can handle some multi-word expressions. Helps to have a Langenscheidt or Duden near at hand.
And when anyone finds a better option than Google_translate, PLEASE let the rest of us know?
Ken Thompson
StLouis, MO