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Writer's pictureNina Tsenova

Top Mobile Translation Apps for Travelers: Breaking Language Barriers on the Go



Author: Anna Shakhmuradian



Traveling is a great way to learn the native language of a country. Although sometimes the communication with the locals on daily basis might be more difficult than we imagine. It’s a mistake to wait that everyone can speak English. But you don’t have to worry, there’s a thousand of apps that have been created exclusively for this reason, to break the barrier of language. Here’s a guide to find out about the 5 best apps that can make traveling easier.

 

1.     Google Translate


Google Translate is one of the most popular translation apps with over 100 languages available. Google will create a composed interpretation for anything that you sort, talk, photo, or draw on your touch screen. It supports accurate translation of separate words and even audio translations. It marks review score of 4.3 out of 5 stars on iTunes and 4.2 out of 5 stars on Google Play.


              Pros:


  • Free for all users there’s no hidden payment involved.

  • Simple app to use especially for older ages.

  • Very fast in use


             Cons:


  • Asian characters sometimes are not accurate

  • Out of 133 languages only 70 are available with voice translation

  • Difficult to detect the context. As a result, the direct translation sometimes ends up being a nonsensical text.

 



2.     iTranslate


This app stands out as a translation and dictionary app and lets you control the speed of translation. In this way, it allows you to work on pronunciation setting your own tempo. Also, you have the ability to save you favourite translations and create a personalized album.

 

Pros:


  • Fast and accurate translations

  • The personalized album saves you time and you don’t have to search for the same phrases again

  • Free translation app

 

 Cons:


  • Offline mode doesn’t always work accurately

  • Extra features and more exclusive require payment

  • Translations on Safari are slower than on the App

 

 

3.     Waygo


This App is designed to translate everything from English to Chinese, Japanese and Korean and in process for more languages. The photo translation is quite fast and accurate. Plus, it saves your favourite phrases.


Pros:


  • Works perfectly in the offline mode

  • The photo translation is highly upgraded and turns to be the fastest you can find by now

  • Works in three languages which makes it more specialized

 

Cons:


  • The interface is sensitive, moves easily and hard to focus

  • You can translate only 10 sentences per day, you can upgrade the app by purchasing a program

 



4.     DeepL Translate


This app supports over 30 languages and translates texts, images, files and documents. It has a basic and easy interface which gives access to millions of people globally.


Pros:


  • High quality translations and accuracy

  • Free of charge

  • Speedy voice recognition

 

Cons: 


  • Lacks the ability to conceive the context whether it concerns cultural, professional, social needs etc.

  • The quality of translation depends on the language pairs

  • The majority of languages are European

 

5.     SayHi Translate


This app provides a two-way conversation continuously. What does that mean? It means that you can simply type a text or speak in the microphone in your language, for example “Hello, my name is George” and it will automatically translate it into the language that you choose.

 

Pros:


  • Variety of languages and dialects making it accessible to many users worldwide

  • Well-functioning voice recognition and voice output

  • Advanced system


Cons:


  • Lack of human touch, spoken translations can sound a bit unnatural

  • Without offline mode

 



Conclusion


In short, nowadays there are plenty of apps that break the barriers of language between people. They make the conversation easier and bring people together. Of course, all of them display some advantages and disadvantages as well. Just by a quick look at this article you will find out which one out of all these apps meet your needs better. Don’t hesitate to try more than one while deciding which fits you more!

 

 


 

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