I've been traveling a lot lately and having an absolute blast doing it, but as I've learned (sometimes the hard way) communicating with others when there is a language barrier can be tough. One day, after a particularly rough moment where my travel book just couldn't cut it, I decided to see if there were other translation tools I could use on-the-go. I came across a website called AppGrooves (I'll include a link below) that had a list of the top 10 translation apps and decided to check a few of them out.
Best 10 Language Translation Apps by AppGroovesI honestly can't believe I've never tried these before - I'm a horrible traveler! I've found three apps, in particular, to be incredibly throughout my travels, and I no longer have to worry about communicating with people because I can just speak into my phone. These are truly the best discoveries of my year so far, and if you have any need for translating in your life, then you seriously need to take a look at my list below.
Customize Translation Speed with SayHi Translate
The thing that makes SayHi Translate so amazing is that you can not only select whether you want a male or female voice, but you can also slow down and speed up the voice translator. It makes it so much easier to double check that you are hearing and saying everything correctly. In the past, I've worked as an English teacher abroad, and I think that this would have been really helpful to communicate with my non-English speaking co-workers as you can speak directly into the device and it will translate what you're saying.
Occasionally, when using the voice translation feature in a conversation, the app does pick up other surrounding noises if you happen to be in a loud environment. If you find that this might be an issue for you, just make sure to speak directly into the microphone - the app will typically only translate the clearest voice.
Translate Audio with Microsoft Translator
Microsoft Translator offers a lot of cool features that will ensure your language learning escapades never get off track. If you need a quick translation of something, you can simply speak into the device and receive an accurate translation right away. You can also take a photo of text and the app will automatically produce translations for you so you can read any sign, menu, or guide during your travels. There's also a pronunciation guide to help you out as you learn new languages.
Although this app has a ton of great features, it does not auto-detect the language you are typing or speaking. You will have to manually input which language you want to translate. This can make the whole process take a little longer, but it really hasn't hindered me in my experience.
Translate More Than 100 Languages with iTranslate Translator & Dictionary
Using iTranslate, you can quickly translate text or have a voice-to-voice conversation in over 100 languages; 16 of which are available offline. And, if you're accustomed to traveling abroad, you'll know that wi-fi is not always easy to find, so having offline capability is great. Plus, you won't have to pay expensive roaming charges. And, if you're just looking to translate a word or two, there's also a dictionary and thesaurus available for all 100+ languages.
There is a pro version of iTranslate that has off-line capabilities, website translation, voice mode, and verb conjugations, but you (obviously) will have to pay for this. I think it's worth it, but you might want to judge the worth of this by your situation. Just note that you can use the app for free but only for a limited amount of time.
I've been loving having these apps in my back pocket and it's made my experience traveling the globe so much easier. If you have ever wanted to travel abroad but were worried about having issues communicating, these apps are definitely worth checking out!