The gadget will automatically detect a user’s preferred language, and if that user’s language settings differ from the content on the gadget-enabled website, a frame will appear over the web page, prompting the user to click a button for instant translation of all text content.

In a post today on the official Google blog, these screenshots were used to illustrate the simple, streamlined process:

Of course, the new feature will only work as well as Google Translate, which project manager Jeff Chin admits is best used to let readers “get the gist” of a page. Still, giving webmasters control over how users see their pages – with minimal effort and no downloads on the user’s part – will likely do a lot to expand both the reach of a given website and the breadth of information available to Internet users around the world.