English to Icelandic translation
English to Icelandic that reads like a native wrote it
Machine translation gets the words right and the Icelandic wrong. Hreinskrift translates English into natural Icelandic, shows every change and checks that the meaning held.
Translate English to Icelandic here
Paste up to 2,000 characters of English. You get natural Icelandic back, with the meaning checked against your original.
No sign-up. Texts from free use are kept without personal details and used to improve the service.
Why translated Icelandic sounds off
Icelandic has only a few hundred thousand speakers, so translation tools and AI models learn far less of it than of English. They put Icelandic words into English sentence structure and translate English idioms literally. Every word is Icelandic, yet the text reads like a translation. Icelanders notice at once, and it costs trust.
What Hreinskrift does differently
- Writes, not just translates. The text is rewritten in natural Icelandic register and rhythm.
- Checks the meaning. The result is translated back and compared with your original, and numbers, prices, dates and names are checked one by one. If the meaning changed, you get a warning instead of a quietly different text.
- Checks that nothing was added. A quality or promise your English does not make is taken out, or flagged if it cannot be.
- Shows every change with the reason for it.
Examples
| English | Hreinskrift |
|---|---|
| We're excited to help your business reach the next level. Our team is here for you every step of the way, so don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. | Við hlökkum til að hjálpa þér að efla reksturinn. Sérfræðingar okkar eru þér til halds og trausts alla leið, og endilega hafðu samband ef einhverjar spurningar vakna. |
| Book your table today and enjoy a taste of the season. Fresh local ingredients, cooked with care. | Pantaðu borð í dag og njóttu bragðs árstíðarinnar. Ferskt hráefni úr héraði, matreitt af alúð. |
Google Translate or Hreinskrift?
To understand an Icelandic text, or to get the gist across, Google Translate is fine and free. When Icelanders will read what you publish, such as a website, an ad, an email to customers or an app, the text has to read as Icelandic, not as translated English. That is what Hreinskrift is for, and it tells you what it changed and that the meaning held.
Who it is for
Businesses entering the Icelandic market, brands advertising in Iceland, websites and apps that need Icelandic copy, agencies localising marketing, and developers who want Icelandic strings that do not read like a machine wrote them. For campaigns and larger jobs, see our translation services.
Questions
- How is this different from Google Translate?
- Hreinskrift rewrites the text the way an Icelander would say it, then translates the result back to English and compares it with your original. Numbers, dates and names are checked one by one, and every change is shown, so a change in meaning does not slip through unnoticed.
- What does it cost?
- Every account gets 6,500 characters a day (about 1 article). Beyond that you pay per use from prepaid credit, about 32 kr. an A4 page, with no subscription needed.
- How do I use it?
- Paste your English into the box at the top of this page, or on the front page, and press Translate. The Icelandic appears below it. To translate more, create an account.
- Can I use it from ChatGPT, Claude or my own code?
- Yes. Hreinskrift connects to ChatGPT and Claude, has a command-line tool for whole folders and websites, and a JSON API for apps and translation workflows.
Try it now
Paste your English on the front page and press the arrow. Also in ChatGPT and Claude, or through the API.
Translate your text, no sign-up