Thanks to those tiny computers in our pockets, palms or wrists, the language barrier isn’t much of a problem anymore.
If you intend to travel to magical cities for Christmas or you’re looking to travel for work or other reasons but are concerned about language, check out these apps you can install on your phones that will help you with conversation starters.
Whether you belong to the android or iOS family, there’s one for you.
Apple’s Translate:
Apple, through the iOS 14, unveiled its own built-in translator app that you can use to translate text and speech and carry on a real-time conversation with anyone who is speaking a different language. Download it from the Apple App store and use it. Its navigation is user friendly.
Google Translate:
Google Translate is available on the web platform, iOS app and on Android. Their typed translation feature supports 103 different languages and counting. 52 of these features work offline – a perfect option for off-the-grid travel plans.
iTranslate Voice 3:
iTranslate Voice 3 enables a magical-like voice-to-voice communication across languages. Download the app via your app store and simply speak into your phone. The app will translate, and speak, that sentence into one of 42 languages.
TextGrabber:
TextGrabber allows you to point your phone’s camera at the indecipherable text in front of you, and instantly translates it to a language of your choosing. This is perfect for non-verbal cues like menus, street signs, and electronic manuals.
SayHi:
With SayHi, typing isn’t necessary. Simply speak into your device and the app will translate and then transcribe a message which you can show to your acquaintance to see and listen to be. It has 90 languages and dialects covered, and also allows you to choose the speed at which your translated voice will be expressed.
Microsoft Translator:
Microsoft Translator is probably the most versatile option on the market as it offers both enterprise and consumer versions. Users can type the text they want to be translated, speak aloud, or take a photo of an image containing the text. The translator is also available as a Smartwatch app, for both iOS and Android, and this makes it easily accessible for on-the-go travellers.
MyLingo:
This is on another level especially, for native Spanish speakers who want to take in an English-language movie. MyLingo aims to fix the language barrier as they have partnered with Sony, Paramount, and Disney to bring real-time translation to movie theatres through this mobile app.
With these options, travelling to a country whose language you don’t understand will never be an issue.
Try one of these and tell us what you think.
Do you have any question or comments? Do share with us in the comment section.