Which apps are best for translation?

The old GaGu Sr. trick of shouting English words in a vaguely racist local accent doesn’t really fly in this day and age. Technology to the rescue, then: foreign language phrasebooks are out, and fancy apps are in.

While there’s a whole rabbit hole of apps you could attempt to squeeze down, Google Translate (iOS/Android, Free) is a fine if slightly obvious choice for converting between English and a host of other languages, and it does just about everything.

It’ll speak phrases for you if you don’t fancy mangling them with your twisty tongue. It does live translation of written words, and can even act as a go-between and translate spoken conversations on the fly. Just make sure you’re packing enough mobile data to make the most of it – consider a local SIM card if your current plan doesn’t cover the travel costs.