Simon Hill/Digital Trends Learning a new language can be difficult. Most people are familiar with the 10,000-hour rule—popularized by author Malcolm Gladwell—which suggests that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to become an expert in any field. Although the rule is disputed, it still takes hundreds (if not thousands) of hours to become fluent in a second language, let alone a third or fourth.
The vast majority of us don’t have that much time to devote to learning a new language, especially if we’re preparing for our next international adventure. We could arm ourselves with a few useful phrases like how to ask where the toilet is, and then turn to a translation app to help us with the rest.
Translation apps aren’t perfect, but they’re certainly better than nothing. They are constantly improving and can be a valuable tool if you decide to learn another language along the way. That said, nothing beats actually learning a new language, but translation apps will get the job done (with only a few mistakes). Maybe one of these days Google will perfect its real-time translation headset and we won’t have to learn languages anymore. But in the meantime, we’ve found the best translation apps.
Google Translate
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Google Translate is one of the best translation apps. Available on iPhone and Android, Google’s competition-winning translator can translate sentences between 103 different languages. It offers voice, image and handwriting translations for many of these languages and can translate bilingual conversations on the fly. The app is completely free (no in-app purchases) and sets the bar high for accurate machine translations. It has a few drawbacks, namely the inability to edit the translation of sentences as a whole (especially in languages like Chinese), but it is without a doubt one of the best translation apps out there. Currently, Google is working on implementing live translation into its latest pair of headphones. If you want to know more, you can check out the guide we created on how to use Google Translate.
I translate
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There are several different iTranslate apps currently on the market, including iTranslate Converse, iTranslate Voice, and iTranslate Translator. Like Google, developers at iTranslate are trying to perfect a live translation service, called Ear Translator. But for now, we’ll just talk about the leading translator app, iTranslate Translator. This application offers online and offline translations for more than 100 languages (16 offline). It’s compatible with the Apple Watch, and there’s also an extension for iMessage and the iPhone keyboard, making it incredibly versatile. While the starter app is indeed free, it is ad-supported and you’ll need to subscribe to a Pro account to get the most out of the app. Depending on which package you choose (monthly or yearly), it will cost you around $3 to $5 per month to have the power of language at your fingertips.
Naver Papago Translation
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Most translation apps have no problem translating Romance and other European languages, but often have trouble providing accurate translations of Asian languages. That’s because most translation apps are created in the United States, where companies lack extensive data on languages like Chinese and Japanese. Papago, from Naver, the creator of the top Korean search engine, only supports 10 languages, but offers better Asian language translations than its competitors. It offers many of the same features as other apps, including text, voice, photo and conversation translations. Based on its reviews, it suffers from inaccurate voice and photo recognition, but it’s the most accurate translation app for the languages it offers and will likely continue to get better.
Microsoft Translator
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Microsoft Translator is – you guessed it – Microsoft’s take on a machine translator. It offers text, image and voice translations for over 60 languages, all of which can be downloaded for offline use. You can also connect the app and translate conversations with multiple people (though it doesn’t work with Windows Phone). Microsoft Translator has a collection of proven translation phrases and pronunciation guides to help you learn important phrases while you travel. It’s compatible with most smartwatches and devices, and if you connect the app between any of your devices, it will automatically sync the translations you’ve already made, ensuring you’re not doing the same translation over and over again. Microsoft Translator is powered by the same technology used by Microsoft Office, Bing and Twitter.
TripLingo
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TripLingo takes a slightly different approach to translation than other similar apps. It offers the typical voice, picture and text translations, but also has four different levels of slang for translations (formal vs. informal), professionally recorded audio files, and a “cultural crash course” that will introduce you to local customs and etiquette. It currently offers support for up to 42 languages. Another interesting feature of this app is that if the translation doesn’t work or you still can’t understand its meaning, TripLingo will connect you with a live translator to help you (for a fee). Although this app is very cool, unfortunately it is one of the most expensive. The basic app is free and offers basic features for all its languages, but to get lessons, an offline dictionary, and live translation services, you have to pay $20 per month for a subscription. Twenty dollars isn’t a lot considering how useful something like this could be on vacation, so it might be worth it.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn