In our increasingly connected world, breaking language barriers has never been more important. Translation apps have become essential tools, whether you’re exploring a foreign destination, visiting an event like Formula 1 in Qatar, or striving to communicate more effectively. Thanks to advancements in technology, these apps are now more intuitive and efficient than ever. Recently, travelers journeying across Europe and Asia tested the latest translation tools in real-world scenarios. Here’s what they discovered:
Google Translate
Google Translate allows you to translate text you type, speak, photograph, or even draw on your screen. For nearly half of its supported languages, it also offers audio translations, and that number continues to grow. One standout feature lets the app listen to two languages simultaneously, providing real-time spoken and text translations for both sides of a conversation.
The good:
Google Translate covers a vast range of languages and is incredibly thorough, although translations can sometimes be awkward. For instance, a French sign saying “Cedez le passage” was translated to “You do not have the priority.”
The bad:
It struggles with Asian character-based languages, occasionally delivering nonsensical results. On a Chinese menu, “eggplant with basil” was translated as “nine eggplant.”
Number of languages:
249, with at least 70 offering voice translations (as of the latest count).
Offline capability:
Translation packs for more than 60 languages are available for offline use.
Overall assessment:
While it’s not flawless, Google Translate impresses with its language variety and unbeatable price — free!
iTranslate
iTranslate goes beyond basic translations by letting users adjust audio playback speed to focus on pronunciation. You can also save frequently used translations by marking them as favorites or emailing them to yourself. Saving these in apps like Evernote can help you build a personal phrasebook.
The good:
Fast and accurate translations, with a handy bookmarking feature that saves time for commonly used phrases (like “Is it spicy?”).
The bad:
Phonetic spellings for languages that use non-Latin alphabets, such as Hebrew or Arabic, are often difficult to pronounce correctly.
Number of languages:
Over 100 total, with 38 offering voice translations.
Offline capability:
Translate between 38 languages offline without restrictions on language pairs.
Overall assessment:
Great for audio translations and pronunciation practice, though its limited number of voice-supported languages is a drawback.
Waygo
Waygo specializes in translating Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Simply point your phone’s camera at text, and the app generates an English translation instantly. It keeps a history of translations and allows you to save favorites — perfect for recalling directions to your hotel for a local taxi driver. The free version offers 10 translations per day, with unlimited use available for $11.99 or upgrades for individual languages at $6.99 each.
The good:
Its photo translation is the fastest and most accurate available. Waygo nailed “eggplant with basil” on the same Chinese menu that confused Google Translate.
The bad:
The app’s interface is highly sensitive to movement, making it tricky to focus. Additionally, it only displays a few translated words at a time, which can be frustrating.
Number of languages:
Three (Chinese, Japanese, Korean), with more on the way.
Offline capability:
Everything except supplemental language packs works offline.
Overall assessment:
A fantastic tool for quick translations of Asian scripts, but its inability to translate English into other languages makes it limited.