I do use online translators like Google Translate and Linguee (there are many others), but these tools may be inadequate and even misleading. Like English, the meaning of a Japanese character may have multiple meanings and may change when combined with another character. Cross checking different websites is useful. Other translations are also helpful, but they too may contain errors.
But sometimes it is nice to go old school and use a hard cover book that is online.
matsuo-basho-haiku 