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Seven language apps for pleasant, confusion-free travel experience
With a little help from technology, traveling can be hassle-free.
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The Duolingo language app is displayed on a Samsung Galaxy S5 mini mobile phone. (Shutterstock/ThomasDeco)
W
hen traveling, sometimes the sky isn’t the limit, but the language barrier is. One second you’re excited about exploring a new country, and seconds later you're worrying about the language barrier it presents.
In the old days, many tourists walked around carrying a pocket dictionary. But these days people have it easier. With a little help from technology, traveling can be hassle-free.
Here are seven apps that can save you from language confusion, as compiled by Insider:
1. Google Translate assists you with easy to use features
The app is mandatory. With over 500 million users, Google Translate is packed with useful features. For instance, you can type in text in one language and get an immediate translation in another. You can also speak into the microphone and have the app read it out in a different language. With the 59 languages available offline, Google Translate allows you to engage in real-time conversation with locals, even when you have no internet connection.
Read also: Travelers alert: Google just named a language app as best app of 2018
2. Duolingo equips you with knowledge of basic conversation
Duolingo offers short and fun daily conversation lessons to prepare you for a trip. If you need a bit of motivation, its mascot, a green owl, is there to cheer you on at all times. You can also test your skills and level up when ready. The app has 200 million users actively learning languages, including Esperanto, Hebrew, Portuguese, Greek, Welsh, Romanian and Swahili.
3. HelloTalk connects you to locals
Not only do people help you, but you get to help others as well. HelloTalk connects users with people who speak the language they need through free chat and audio calls. Offering more than 100 languages, HelloTalk also supports interactive experience through its translation and grammar correction tools.
4. TripLingo comes in handy in critical situations
If you need emergency information, currency conversion, tip calculation or briefings on local etiquette, TripLingo is the right app. Besides offering voice translators in 19 languages, the app offers live human translators on standby, available for an extra charge.
Read also: 5 apps single travelers need to meet new people on holiday
5. Tandem teams you up with a native speaker
Perhaps the quickest way to learn a new language, especially daily conversational ones, is by making friends. With more than 150 languages to choose from and a community of over 1 million people, Tandem pairs you with a language partner to help you learn even slang from the people who use it.
6. Waygo reads foreign alphabets for you
If you’re in for some local food but can’t read a single letter on the menu, Waygo can help you out. The app works by reading letters that you aim your camera at, translate and spell them out for you. The best thing is, it is available offline as well.
7. iTranlate converts speech to text with ease
Locals often can’t be bothered with typing the sentence they are trying to say into your translator app. iTranslate’s voice recognition technology ensures a smooth conversation between travelers and locals. It converts speech into words in over 100 languages and includes an extensive dictionary with verb conjugations. The app also recently introduced a visual dictionary, with the ability to suggest words corresponding to the object shown in photos. (vel/mut)
