Available: iOS | Android
Most people know about Google Translate. Mobile apps are great both online and offline. It's so well known that it's the first app that most people think of for translation.
Language provided
With the Google Translate app, you can choose to translate between 103 different languages. However, this is only if you have an internet connection. For offline use, language packs must be downloaded separately, but only 59 languages are available.
unique features
Google Translate was one of the first apps to implement a camera mode, and it's currently available in quite a few apps on the market. There is now an active community of multilingual Google users who translate and correct the most commonly used words and phrases. Special human attention goes a long way in ensuring a flawless translation experience.
As expected
Available: iOS | Android
In Chinese, “wàiguó” means “foreigner”.
This is how the developers came up with the name Waygo. Having worked and lived in Asia, they found that offline apps were perfect for travelers trying to navigate unfamiliar languages around China, Japan, and Korea.
Language provided
Waygo's developers have special ties to East Asia, so the app only works in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. More languages are said to be in development.
unique features
Waygo was built as a “lightweight” offline translator. It can also be used on older phones that don't have the same processing power or storage as modern phones. Since this app is used by many people in restaurants, the dictionary database associated with this app stores a large number of dish and ingredient names.
Available: iOS | Android
There's nothing like beautiful beauty that makes you want to use an app again and again. With iTranslate, the process of translating texts and finding words is intuitive, hassle-free, and robust enough to compare to the industry leaders. These features make offline translation apps the first choice for many users.
Language provided
Translate between 90 different languages online, including non-standard Arabic and specialized languages like Canadian-French. In offline mode, the list is narrowed down to 37 languages, covering the majority of languages spoken around the world.
unique features
iTranslate is the only app on the market that supports real-time conversational translation between non-standard Arabic languages. People in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt can also use this app like any other app. It is also available for Cantonese speakers, which is not found in all apps.
Available: iOS | Android
Microsoft Translator is working hard to optimize translation technology for businesses. Includes new features that allow you to translate PowerPoint presentations in real time. So how does their mobile app stack up against their competitors?
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The company's offline mode supports 44 languages, the largest 11 of which are equipped with more advanced neural network processing algorithms. This is a fancy way of saying that we use AI to improve translation quality.
unique features
While other apps can translate conversations in real time, if two users both have Microsoft Translator installed on their phones, you can actually create a private chat room. From there, each participant can write and receive messages in their preferred language. Microsoft Translator also provides several translation options. This is useful when you want to communicate in a foreign language and need to find the best phrases to express your thoughts accurately.
Available: iOS
If you're from North America, you may have heard of Baidu once or twice, but in China, Baidu is crap. Their translation algorithms have made great strides over the past few years, especially in Chinese, which is their primary language.
Language provided
This app allows you to translate between English and Chinese. While it may seem limited, Baidu's Chinese translations are far more accurate than Google's, according to many Chinese-speaking users who leave reviews online.
unique features
Baidu's app probably has the widest range of great features in this list of offline translation apps. One of the coolest features is object translation. With it, when you take a photo of something in the real world, you'll see the Chinese and English names there, as well as statements in both languages.
Currently, object translation is only available if you have an internet connection, but that may change in the next few years.
However, even when you're offline, you can access sample single-word translations between English and Chinese, as well as phrasebooks with audio recordings in both languages.
Available: iOS | Android
Are you surprised to see an OCR (optical character recognition) brand on this list? Sometimes a little specialization can be good for your product. The idea is that ABBYY TextGrabber is first and foremost an OCR app that allows you to digitize text and menus, and a good translation feature is just a bonus.
Language provided
In fact, this app has the most available camera recognition languages on the market, with over 60. That's significantly more than many other apps combined.
unique features
ABBYY TextGrabber does one thing well: find text in images that are blurry, skewed, or filled with strange alphabets.
You can take any text and look up its meaning using the built-in dictionary. If you're not satisfied with these definitions, throw your text into one of the other translation-focused apps on this list.
No matter where you are in the world, it is advantageous to strive to understand and be understood.
Learn from translations sent from your phone. Make the most of it for human-to-human communication. That's the key to a great trip!
