Four Must-have Translation Apps

“Think global, act local”: when it comes to entering new markets, this somewhat cliché phrase nevertheless summarizes the approach that a company should take in presenting itself to a new customer base. In doing this, language plays a plays a fundamental role. When localizing to a new market, it is the bridge between you and your customers. In today’s blog post, we list four prominent translation apps that can help you navigate foreign markets.

Google Translate (Android & iOS)

Unsurprisingly, Google Translate is the most popular online translator. The app has a database consisting of over 90 languages, recognizes written sentences, and even translates spoken words. The app also has an online feature that can translate when not connected to the internet. Google Translate is easy to use and also gives you the option to listen to the right pronunciation of words. If there are certain phrases that you use more often, you can add them to your “favorites” by clicking on the star. For character based languages like Chinese, users have the option of hand drawing the characters, ensuring that a user can search for characters without knowing their pronunciation.

iTranslate (Android and iOS)

Just like Google Translate, iTranslate covers over 90 languages. The app recognizes voices and gives you the option to instantly share translated phrases via multimedia. To remove ads and translate longer sentences, you can purchase the additional iTranslate app. It offers useful features such as text prediction to help you type more quickly and efficiently, as well as translation for non-roman characters.

iHandy (iOS)

At first glance, this app might not look like a translator, but iHandy is actually very easy to use. First, pick the target language and then write what you want to translate in the upper textbox. iHandy also offers you the option to connect with your social media accounts and share translated phrases. This app displays a lot of advertising, but there is a paid version available without this problem. It has a voice recognition feature and provides a list of frequently-used phrases and their translations, which is very (i)handy.

WayGo (Android and iOS)

WayGo allows you to take a picture of a Chinese, Korean or Japanese character or phrase and translate it into English – no typing or character drawing is required. An internet connection is not needed. The free version allows you to translate up to 10 words a day.

Despite the startling advances in technology, it is important to keep in mind that translation via software is still not 100% accurate on its own – translation apps should be seen as tools to be used, rather than standalone solutions to every translation problem.

Stepes

At CSOFT, we have created Stepes, the world’s first chat-based translation app. Stepes allows businesses to receive on-demand translations in a shorter amount of time and at a lower cost. You can upload documents for translation, which are then made available to selected translators. These translators are specialized in a specific language and industry and can be rated on their delivered work. By swiping left and right, you can view the original and translated text. When it comes to today’s types of business communications, such as social media posts and user-generated content, the app offers a unique way of translating.