Being a stranger in a strange land can be fun for a while – right up until you order the
special and wind up with a plate of live squid or you hop on a train to get back to your
hotel and wake up in another country. While most people will struggle to use pocket
translation books (populated by ridiculously tiny print) modern technology can make your
trip a little easier with a slew of translation apps. Here are a few of the best.
- iTranslate. Okay, let’s be honest: this app is free to download but a lot of the
features will require payment (at prices of $0.99 to $1.99 a pop). That said, there is a lot
to love about this translation application, which features 50 languages (20 of which have
spoken translation), a dictionary, speech-to-speech mode (handy for conversations), and
options to save phrases. It may cost you a bit for some of the neat features, but even
without them you get a basic translation tool that’s better than most of the offerings out
there. - Word Lens. Many travelers know the frustration of looking at signs in foreign
countries and having no idea if they’re giving you directions to your hotel or offering you
a bowl of fried rice. This app lets you take pics of signage in order to have it translated.
It doesn’t have a lot of language options yet, and although the app itself is free you will
have to pay as much as $4.99 for each one you download, but the upside is that you
only need to buy the languages you want to use, rather than shelling out for a program
that comes with dozens that you’ll never need. And the first time you use it to read a
menu in France or a train schedule in Spain it will be worth every cent. - SayHi Translate. This app will [Read more…]
