Attributing the Assistance of an Online Translator for a Book&#39;s Chapter---Is It Necessary?
<p>I have recently finished a work in which one of the chapters is based upon a translation of a nineteenth century document in which I have made use of a free online translator. Where the translator seemed to be at fault, I have done the translation myself; though in the end, the major portion of the whole translation used in that chapter relies on the output of the online translator.</p>
<p>The book, in three volumes, contains sixty chapters, only one of which, includes output from the the aforementioned translator.</p>
<p>QUESTION: Am I obligated to acknowledge the use of this free online tool; and if so, how should that be done? Can the writer of the software legally demand some sort of royalties when the book is published? I anticipate that it will be published in the United States.</p>
<p><strong>UPDATE</strong>
A <em>follow-up</em> to this question is found here: <a href="https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/88686/copyright-ownership-of-a-translated-article-appearing-in-a-book-in-which-an-onli">Copyright Ownership of a Translated Article Appearing in a Book in Which an Online Translator was Used</a></p>

<p>Using software generally does not entail any legal requirement to acknowledge the use of that software, and would only arise as a licensing condition. Google services, including Translate, are subject to certain <a href="https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en-US" rel="noreferrer">terms of use</a> especial the part about what <a href="https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en-US#toc-what-we-expect" rel="noreferrer">they expect of you</a>. They do not impose any requirement regarding acknowledgment, therefore they cannot later demand any royalties. If a translation program imposes any demands on your usage of the program, that has to be part of the original agreement whereby you were allowed to use the software at all.</p>

united-states online attribution