Updated in 2022
Globalization and the ever-expanding reach of the Internet have connected people around the world. However, the language barrier continues to be a hurdle. Thanks to numerous language translation apps and services, communication and understanding among people of different languages is now easier. If you have started your LLC in another country or simply need to translate some paperwork, there are lots of cost-effective options available.
Not all translation apps are created equal, though. Some are just way better than others. The following are 10 of the best translation apps that stand out among all language translator systems available at present.
Day Translations
When it comes to quick and reliable translation, the Day Translations app is one of the best translation apps out there. What makes it stand out is the fact that it’s an app for both machine and human translation.
When you get this app, you can generate instant translations or contact a human translator to come up with a professional translation that is indubitably precise and contextually accurate. Additionally, you can make the app verbalize the pronunciation of words so you can hear and emulate the correct way of saying words you are not familiar with.
This free iOS and Android app was recently updated, which saw it gain an interpreting function. This means that the app is now capable of doing speech-to-speech translations. Having it on your mobile device is like having a personal interpreter you can take with you wherever you go. Collaborating with a skilled Android app development company can enhance the functionality and reach of translation apps, offering users seamless and innovative language solutions on their Android devices.
If you need to translate text in a document or a recorded speech with irrefutable accuracy (something machine translation apps are incapable of doing), take advantage of the Day Translation app’s human translation solutions. Go to the Human Translations feature and arrange for a human translator to proficiently and promptly do a file, audio, image, video, link, or text translation.
And on Day Translations new VRI App is also available for Video or Phone interpreting. This new update on the video remote interpreting App can connect you on-demand and/or schedule your very own interpreter in the palm of your hands. Available on Android and iOS.
Highlights
- Freemium iOS and Android app (free translation app with the option to pay for human translation service)
- Supports 104 languages for text translation and 33 languages for speech translation
- Capable of speech-to-speech translations
- Developed by a highly experienced global translation service provider
Speak & Translate
No Android app | iOS
An advanced speech translator that also has the ability to translate text, Speak & Translate is one of the best translator apps for iPhone notable for having one of the highest ratings for translator apps on iTunes. It’s an impressive app capable of performing text translations in 117 languages and speech translations in 54 languages.
It comes with Apple’s proprietary speech recognition technology, enabling it to automatically detect languages, which makes it faster and more accurate in handling voice recognition. Also, it sports iCloud integration, allowing you to store the history of your translations and synchronize them across your iOS devices. If you are not sure about the language you want to translate, Speak & Translate’s text-to-text translation function can detect the language for you.
Speak & Translate is a free translator to download from the Apple App Store. However, it has some limitations. For one, there’s a set maximum number of translations allowed per day (the maximum limit is subject to change). It always has to be online. But it is now available offline too. If you want to get rid of the ads and extend your use of the app, get the premium version (on a subscription basis). The premium version allows unlimited translations and has an offline mode for translating texts.
Highlights
- Free (limited) language translation app for iOS devices but with a premium/paid version
- Supports text translations in 117 languages and speech translations in 54 languages
- Apple Speech Recognition Technology support for more accurate speech recognition
- Automatic language detection in speech translation
- Offline mode only available in the premium version
Google Translate
Google Translate is a product of the world’s foremost Internet company, so it’s no surprise that it is highly popular and relied upon by most Internet users worldwide. When you talk about the best online translation apps, it’s difficult not to quickly associate it with this translator app by Google. It is even #1 in the Reference category of apps in the iOS App Store.
Google Translate has one of the most advanced if not the most advanced free translation software. The great tech is what makes Google Translate one of the most popular translation apps in the world as it can be used for formal and informal speech. It is the result of years of development and the most recent relevant technological advancements. These manifest in the extensive range of features the app offers. It can translate text into more than 100 languages and is even capable of offline translations in multiple languages (59 to be exact). Additionally, it can translate text and numbers as taken by a device’s camera (camera translation) or by analyzing a photo or image fed into the app (not taken by the camera).
The conversation translation feature of this app allows two people (who speak different languages) to communicate by voice through their respective smartphones (with Google Translate installed) as their voices are translated in real-time as they speak.
If you plan on using Google Translate’s highly useful offline translation feature, you need to download additional language packs. These are files added to the app to handle translations in specific languages without the need to connect to Google’s servers.
Highlights
- Free language translation app for Android and iPhone
- Supports text translations in 103 languages and speech translation (or conversation translations) in 32 languages
- Capable of doing camera translations in 38 languages and photo/image translations in 50 languages
- Translates handwriting in 93 languages
- Now available offline for translation in 59 languages
- Performs translations across apps
SayHi
SayHi is dubbed the “voice translator for everyone” and can be used for formal and informal speech. This is one of the most popular translation apps and it’s free for iOS and Android. It has made the rounds in major traditional and online media such as the NBC Today Show, TechCrunch, Lifehacker, and Gizmodo. The app supports multiple languages including Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Filipino, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Norwegian, Hungarian, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, and Italian, Latvian, Korean, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Romanian, Russian, Swahili, Polish, and Lithuanian.
It comes with a camera translation feature, which works for major Asian characters (Japanese, Korean, and Chinese). As such, it’s one of the best translation apps in the Asian market. It can translate text messages, voice, as well as conversational translations. It is also capable of copying and sharing translated texts through email, SMS, pdf file, and social media. If you want to maximize accessibility, you can use a PDF to Flipbook converter to create an interactive version of the translation. When you translate speech, the voice output can be set to male or female and can be slowed down for easier emulation. This is a great feature for those who want to learn how to speak a new language. For learning on the go, install this app on your apple watch! This feature-rich translator could use an offline mode, though, just like most other major translator apps and also features alternative translations.
Highlights
- Free translation app for Android and iOS
- Supports text and speech translations in 90 languages
- Camera translation capable of translating some Asian characters
- Can translate and copy translations across apps
- Male and female voices for speech translation with the ability to slow down speech speed
iTranslate
This is one of the best translation apps on Google Play and iTunes. It is one of the best free translation apps and language dictionary apps that can translate text messages, voice-to-voice, as well as text-to-voice translations. With more than 100 languages supported, iTranslate is a handy communication tool to have as you travel to different parts of the world. The user-friendly interface also means the tool is effortless to use even on smaller devices like your apple watch.
iTranslate is loaded with a good deal of useful features including transliteration, alternative translations, translation sharing, the ability to keep favorites and history of translations, as well as male and female translation voices. Additionally, this app features a visual dictionary and a phrasebook.
You need to upgrade to the premium version of the app, though, if you want to access the camera translation, conversation translation, verb conjugation guide, website translation, and the offline mode features.
Highlights
- Free (limited) translation app for Android and iOS with a premium/paid (full) version
- Supports text translations in over 100 languages and speech translations in 40 languages
- Camera translation (in the premium version)
- Dictionary and phrasebook
- Offline mode
TripLingo
Advertised as the ultimate tool for international business travelers, TripLingo is like an interactive phrasebook that comes with an instant speech translator. It is designed to address virtually everything a traveler needs when going to a country with a different language.
Aside from its ability to translate into 19 languages, it provides a phrasebook with scores of thousands of entries in 13 languages. The app provides professionally recorded translation audio along with standard written pronunciation guides. It also comes with an offline dictionary, language learning audio lessons, as well as flashcards, and quizzes.
Other features useful for travelers are TripLingo’s tip calculator, currency converter, and the ability to call US-based numbers via Wi-Fi or data connection. The app also provides a “culture crash course” to help users get acquainted with local customs and etiquette in select countries.
With more than 300,000 international users, TripLingo is one of the popular translation apps on Google Play and iTunes. It has been featured in several media including CNN, Wired, Mashable, MSNBC, Fox, and Forbes.
Highlights
- Free (limited) translator for Android and iOS with a premium/paid (full) version
- Instant voice translation in 19 languages
- Comes with more than 26,000 phrases in 13 languages
- Has over 30,000 professionally recorded translation audios
- Provides an offline language dictionary with approximately 10,000 words
- Image translation capable
- Allows users to connect to a human translator (premium service) for getting more accurate live translations
Microsoft Translator
Another translation app heavyweight, Microsoft Translator, is one of the many free translation apps capable to translate text, voice, conversation, and image translations. It can perform both online and offline translations in more than 60 languages. Just like Google Translate, though, you need to download language packs to enable offline use.
This app’s image translation feature can analyze images taken by a device’s camera, photos uploaded to it, as well as screenshots to detect texts and generate the desired translations. It also comes with its proprietary multi-person conversation translation feature, which allows up to 100 people who speak different languages to communicate through the app, with their voices automatically interpreted.
Microsoft Translator, moreover, has a rich phrasebook as well as pronunciation guides, which are useful for those who want to learn how to speak essential foreign language phrases often encountered during travels. You can hear translated phrases out loud or view transliterations to help you speak and remember foreign words or phrases better. Additionally, this app is capable of sharing translations with other apps and doing text translations while accessing other apps through the context menu.
The camera/image translation feature in Microsoft Translator is nothing new, but it works really well. It’s not perfect, but it’s one of the best implementations of this technology.
Highlights
- Free language translation app for iPhone and Android
- Supports text translations in 64 languages and speech translation in 21 languages
- Supports camera and image translation
- Enables multi-person translated conversations
- Features a phrasebook as well as pronunciation guides
- Allows translation sharing between apps
Naver Papago Translate
Papago is a free translation app aimed at business travelers as well as those who go abroad for business trips or to study. It only supports 13 languages at present (English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian, Italian, German, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese). However, it provides interesting and useful features that make it worth trying.
It is capable of performing real-time voice translation and can also translate text, conversation translation, and image translation. It also has a phrasebook and a language dictionary. The app can be operated in three modes: conversation, offline, and automatic currency conversion. It also has the Papago Kids feature, which is designed for basic language learning through flashcards. Additionally, Papago has an interesting way of resolving situations wherein there is more than one possible translation: it shows images so the app user can pick the intended context.
Highlights
- Free translator to download on Android and iOS devices
- Supports text and speech translations in 13 languages
- Capable of doing image translations
- Comes with a dictionary and phrasebook
- “Papago Kids” feature for basic foreign language learning
Linguee
Linguee is mainly a dictionary app available for iOS and Android devices. It can be downloaded from the Apple App Store (great for your Apple watch!) but it appears to have been delisted from Google Play. Nevertheless, it’s one of the good mobile translation solutions to consider.
Developed with inputs from more than 400 lexicographers, Linguee stands out for being a fast and reliable free language translator app. It has limited language support, though. It only allows translations to and from English, French, Japanese, Dutch, German, Russian, Spanish, Polish, Italian, and Simplified Chinese.
Linguee has a Quick Search feature that is similar to the auto-suggest of Google, wherein the app predicts the words and phrases you are looking for as you type the first few letters in the search box. It also detects spelling errors and suggests the possible “correct” term or phrase you want to find.
Highlights
- Free language translation app for iPhone
- Supports text translations in 10 languages
- No speech translation function
- Predictive translation search (Quick Search)
- Developed with the help of lexicographers
- Has an offline mode for all the 10 languages it supports
- Comes with audio pronunciation guides recorded by professional dubbers
This app also makes use of Apple’s 3D Touch technology. By light pressing on an entry in the autocomplete list, the app shows a preview of the details that come with the entry. You can also use 3D Touch to see translations of a word within an article without having to leave the article. If you want you see want to see what users did on your app, you can use one of the session replay tools to reproduce user interactions, instead of viewing separate data points like mouse movement, clicking, tapping, scrolling, etc.
Translate
Developed by the Russian equivalent of Google, Yandex. Translate is a powerful language translation mobile application that supports 95 languages when online. Offline, the app remains useful as it can also perform translations to English from the following languages: French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
When it comes to speech translation, Yandex. Translate does not come close to rivaling the big guns as it only supports four languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian, and Turkish. Nevertheless, the app can be made to read aloud the text translations it generates.
This feature-rich translation app on phones running Android or iOS (and even your Apple watch) is also capable of performing camera or image translations for 12 languages, namely English, French, Czech, German, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Turkish, Polish, and Ukrainian.
Highlights
- Free iOS and Android translator app
- Supports text translations in 95 languages, speech translation in 4 languages, and camera translations in 12 languages
- Allows website translation
- Features dictionaries for most of the languages supported
- Offline mode (for a few languages)
Human Translations Reign Supreme
We have developed a UX-friendly, easy-to-use free translations app, available for iOS and Android on your phone, and any desktop. However, machine-generated translations, even with AI and neural networks in the mix, are not 100% accurate. You can’t use them for business purposes or submit them to government offices or academic institutions. That’s why the ranking of apps here puts emphasis on the superiority of human translations, hence apps that connect users to professional human translators rank high in the list above.
This is the reason why the Day Translations app tops this list. It’s an app that brings together both machine and human translation solutions in one interface for your convenience. It is developed by a global translation company with extensive experience in doing actual professional and certified translations. If there’s anyone who knows how to create an excellent translation app, it’s a company that has been involved in professional translations for a long time.
Human translations are still indispensable. Especially when your translated documents, audios, or videos are for official purposes. This is something we at Day Translations, Inc. can competently offer. Send us an email at Contact us for a quote on the language service you need or reach us by telephone at 1-800-969-6853. We are open 24/7 every day of the week.