Unbelievable.. Needs to be ED Essential: Google translate & its camera app

[absoluteis350]

Hi guys

I just stumbled upon this, so please excuse me if this is old news.. but I just found the Google translate app, and more importantly, the camera app. It is absolutely amazing.

Basically, using the camera app, you hold up your phone (camera) to a sign, and it directly translates the sign into English (or whatever language) right on your screen.

The voice app basically translates anything you say, into whatever language you want. The 'conversation' tool will actually follow a conversation and translate back and forth as the two people are talking.

I just tried this with Polish with my wife, and it worked incredibly well !

This should seriously be placed in a sticky for European delivery, as it will make everyones lives a lot easier (especially if you need to translate a sign, a dinner/lunch menu, etc). Of course, I believe people should learn foreign languages and immerse themselves in outside cultures, but this app is an incredible help when you really need some extra assistance.

Here is a link describing it (Google Translate is free, of course):

http://www.fodors.com/news/three-new...ier-11444.html

[motzus]

My wife and I used it on our ED trip. It was helpful but don't count on it. You need a fast data connection for it to work well.

[MFNATIK]

Originally Posted by motzus

My wife and I used it on our ED trip. It was helpful but don't count on it. You need a fast data connection for it to work well.

Did you try to download the offline package?

[larryn]

User this in Beijing and Shanghai on vacation a couple months ago - agree - excellent app, aber wann ich nach Deutschland gehen, ich spreche Deutch.

[SamS]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

Did you try to download the offline package?

The offline version appears to be Android-only.

[MFNATIK]

Originally Posted by SamS

The offline version appears to be Android-only.

Lol, good thing I use Android then

[ZAGA_M3]

I made sure my german is downloaded and i have iphone.
Tested in airplane mode and it works. Can't wait to use it

[SamS]

Originally Posted by gassian

I made sire my german is doenloaded and i have iphone.
Tested in airplane mode and it works. Can't wait to use it

That's only for the Lens/camera feature. For voice/text translation, you'll need a data connection.

[Bluex]

I got this for my trip as well, but honestly when you're there (at least when I was) I found it more of a novelty than anything else. It wasn't like I actually used it to get around or communicate.

It was slightly helpful when I was curious what certain road signs meant. I would just line it up in the camera and the app would translate (onto the actual sign, no less) what it meant in English (or roughly).

It was a neat novelty. That's the best way I can put it.

I think the translation apps are much better suited to countries where English doesn't have such a strong base. I found it much easier to communicate in English with Germans and then have them help me learn phrases in German. Almost all Germans know English (with the exception of our Sixt driver.....or maybe he just didn't want to talk...lol) and I know when we were at Augustiner-Keller, our waiter loved giving us tips on the way to order things in German.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by Bluex

I got this for my trip as well, but honestly when you're there (at least when I was) I found it more of a novelty than anything else. It wasn't like I actually used it to get around or communicate.

+1.

You do NOT need an app, or a dictionary, a tour guide, or a nanny to get around Germany!

Other than the fact that most people speak and/or understand some English, everything is fairly intuitive: road signs and symbols have the same familiar format, town names are town names, prices in stores use the same arabic numerals (just different currency), etc. The only thing you wont do is engage in verbal debate on the prospects of a local soccer team over drinks at the bar. Chances are you have no clue who the players are, you wont understand the peculiarities of player's contribution to the game's strategy, nor much care about any of this in any language

Please resist the temptation to be a clueless tourist looking at the world through an app or a guide-book, and just immerse yourself in local culture and language. You will be pleasantly surprised how quickly you pick up on things, and have WAY more fun in the process!

a

[absoluteis350]

Originally Posted by afadeev

+1.

You do NOT need an app, or a dictionary, a tour guide, or a nanny to get around Germany!

Other than the fact that most people speak and/or understand some English, everything is fairly intuitive: road signs and symbols have the same familiar format, town names are town names, prices in stores use the same arabic numerals (just different currency), etc. The only thing you wont do is engage in verbal debate on the prospects of a local soccer team over drinks at the bar. Chances are you have no clue who the players are, you wont understand the peculiarities of player's contribution to the game's strategy, nor much care about any of this in any language

Please resist the temptation to be a clueless tourist looking at the world through an app or a guide-book, and just immerse yourself in local culture and language. You will be pleasantly surprised how quickly you pick up on things, and have WAY more fun in the process!

a

Agreed its not NEEDED. However, it helps a lot. For example, my last trip to Munich, we went to Austria and stayed at a bed and breakfast. They knew limited english, we knew limited german. While it was fun to communicate in this way (they enjoyed it too), it would have also been fun to use an app to get across some points that we otherwise had a hard time doing.

The main advantage to this app is to translate signs, which I agree, is usually not critical but more of a curiosity. In any case, it is extremely cool in that regard. Furthermore, not all places have attentive waiters, and especially when the menu is long, they are unlikely to sit there and translate for you. Agreed, most places have english menus, but when you start traveling to the smaller areas in the alps, it can be less extensive.

No I never had any issues traveling there before I got this app. HOWEVER, it is useful, fun, and can actually teach you some german or french in the sense that it can remind you of vocabulary words you have since forgotten, or help you translate new words which you can then learn.

I am just surprised that the ED stickies have less important tips and hints on there, but something as helpful as this is omitted.

[Blksnowflake]

Awesome app, use it to read foreign package ingredients whether food or meds. You need to have the language you're trying to translate downloaded for better results, in case no data.

[absoluteis350]

Originally Posted by Blksnowflake

Awesome app, use it to read foreign package ingredients whether food or meds. You need to have the language you're trying to translate downloaded for better results, in case no data.

Exactly.. product labels are great to translate with this. While they aren't foolproof, they usually get their point across.