Learning basic German

hmm... what do you want to learn ? Just some expressions or do you really want to talk and write in german ? If so you should take some german lessons in a local language school. If you just want to translate some expressions from english to german i can help you

I think the easiest way is to chat with germans.
If you just want to translate some snippets ... see the posts above.

Another good site for translating from german to english is
http://dict.leo.org/ende?lang=en

When I was in Germany, I learned enough to get around and have a decent conversation.
1. I got a copy of the Brother's Grimm (Die Gebrueder Grimm) and a dictionary. The stories are familiar, so it was easier to get through them, and they are pretty entertaining. I used to read them out loud at the bus stop and train station to get the cadence down.

2. Newspapers: Again, unless you've been living under a rock, you generally know what to expect in the news, so you can work out the stories easily enough. Also, the language is a current, so you pick up on common phrases.

3. Music, especially hop-hop or rap: I got a CD of Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt and sang "Zeit zum Besinnen" - it helped with my pronunciation.

Drinking beer and going to parties helped, too, but you can't do that online

for me i am learning how to read german by lurking in several german IRC channels and observing the conversations. perticurlarly when they talk about "me" meaning themselves because they type mir and it alerts my nick recognition. it is fun.