Speak Easy? The Ups and Downs of Travel Translation Apps

Article Highlights

• Translation Apps Benefits: They help travelers overcome language barriers, facilitating communication and cultural exchange, enhancing the travel experience.
• Practical Uses: These apps are useful for navigation, transportation, shopping, dining, exploring sites, and handling emergencies, making travel easier and more enjoyable.
• Risks and Limitations: Despite their benefits, translation apps can misinterpret colloquialisms and context, leading to misunderstandings. Additionally, they pose technical, privacy and security risks, and can hinder language learning if travelers over-rely on them.

Using translation apps while traveling internationally can be incredibly helpful, especially to overcome language barriers. Talking in the local language makes it easier to connect with people and enjoy the culture more.

But there are plenty more reasons why translation apps are useful, including:

• Navigation – To understand signs, menus, and directions in a foreign language.
• Transportation – To communicate with drivers, conductors, or staff in public transportation.
• Shopping & Dining – To negotiate prices, order food, or ask questions while shopping or dining.
• Exploring – To understand historical sites, museums, and attractions with foreign language descriptions.
• Emergency Situations – To seek help or communicate in case of emergencies.

However, there are risks and dangers associated with the use of this technology.

For example, if you’re an English-speaking lawyer on vacation traveling in France and want to let a local person know what your profession is you could ask Google Translate to provide the French version of “I am a lawyer.”

Google Translate will suggest you say, “Je suis un avocat.” Unfortunately – and perhaps amusingly –, you just told your French friend that you are an avocado. The word “avocat” means lawyer and avocado in French. The key distinction is the use of the French word “un” before the word “avocat.” With the word “un” before “avocat” it means avocado, without it the meaning is “lawyer.”

If, however, you used Microsoft Translator then it would recommend you say, “Je suis avocat” – without the French word “un” – and that means you are, in fact, a lawyer.

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What Apps Are Available?

There are several translation apps available that can assist with language translation, text recognition, voice translation and offline capabilities. The following are 10 of the best translation apps for travelers to consider:

• Waygo specializes in visual translation and is particularly useful for translating text in images and menus in Asian languages.
• Papago is a popular translation app in Asia, offering text and voice translation in multiple languages, including Asian languages like Korean, Japanese and Chinese.
• TripLingo is designed specifically for travelers and has language guides, cultural information and voice translation in multiple languages.
• Google Translate is one of the most popular and widely used translation apps. It offers text, speech and camera translation in many languages, as well as offline capabilities for some features.
• Microsoft Translator provides text and voice translation in multiple languages, as well as the ability to translate conversations in real-time with several participants.
• ITranslate offers text and voice translation, a dictionary, offline mode and the ability to save favorite translations for quick access.
• SayHi provides voice translation in multiple languages and allows users to have multilingual conversations with real-time translation.
• Translate Now offers text and voice translation in numerous languages, as well as the ability to save and organize translations for future reference.
• Babylon Translator has text and voice translation in multiple languages, as well as a dictionary and language learning tools.
• Easy Language Translator provides text and voice translation in various languages, with a simple and user-friendly interface.

Risks and Dangers of Using Translation Apps

The earlier anecdote about the lawyer who dubbed himself an avocado illustrates the risk that lurks within language translation apps. These tools, though often helpful, don’t always account for cultural nuances or context, and can stumble, sometimes disastrously, over colloquialisms, leading to bewildering misunderstandings and unintended comedy—or worse—when communicating with locals.

There are several other translation app risks, too, including:

• Technical Issues – Apps that rely on internet connectivity can be unreliable or costly.
• Privacy Concerns – Some translation apps require access to personal data, raising privacy issues.
• Security Risks – Using public Wi-Fi networks to access translation apps can expose sensitive information to potential hackers.
• Dependency – Relying too heavily on translation apps may hinder language learning and cultural immersion.
• Communication Breakdown – In complex or nuanced conversations, translation apps may not be able to accurately convey tone or context, leading to misunderstandings.

Before traveling, it’s wise to download and familiarize yourself with one or more of these translation apps to help facilitate communication and enhance your travel experience. It’s also helpful to have a basic understanding of common phrases or greetings in the local language of the country you are visiting to show respect and courtesy to the locals.

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How a Global Rescue Membership Helps

Is there a local language barrier you need to overcome? Your Global Rescue membership provides services beyond emergency field rescue from the point of illness or injury and medical evacuation. You’re just one call away from help from travel advice experts who will keep you safe and prepared, whether that means finding translation services, identifying where you can refill a prescription, changing your destination to avoid a natural disaster threat, or getting emergency help if you become sick or injured. It’s all part of your membership.