AutoML translation for example gives free the first 500K characters/month.

If you just want basic usage it should be fine - there are more advanced options that include training your own data set etc.

I'm glad to see this thread, as I do a fair amount of translating and find that machine translations make good first guesses. I posted on stackoverflow a question about what all is involved in getting a google api key like the one needed for the module you use. I got nothing but crickets. I suspect it may have something to do with google's snafu with a data breach recently, where those with api keys had access to stuff they shouldn't have. Furthermore, google is one of those companies like facebook that is ginormous but has no ordinary place for users to talk to an actual person to get the skinny on something.

My question is what are the costs involved? I'm guessing that it would be a function of use, but does that mean you give them a credit card?

Here are a couple of links
• An old 2011 Programmable Web Link
• Public Web Interface
• Google Translate Pricing

I had previously seen somewhere in the Google API Docs something that left me with the impression that the first chunk of characters was free but can't fund the reference. I note that for my small use I don't see any charges in my billing console. I note that I believe you do need to be signed up for Google Cloud Services which requires a credit card. You typically get a free starter credit and you can set a charge limit to ensure you don't incur unexpected charges.