Traveling abroad is one of the best experiences you can have. You get to see new places, meet new people and take in the culture of a city or country that is totally different from you own. Sometimes, though, it’s difficult to fully enjoy the experience because of a language barrier.
Sure, many people in many different countries speak one common tongue or another, but wouldn’t it be nice to immerse yourself in the experience and speak the local language? With today’s smartphone technology and apps, it’s possible to do just that. There are many apps out there that can help you demolish that language barrier and speak like a local. Here are some of the apps you may be interested in.
Duolingo
This is by far the best — and cheapest! — way to learn a new language. It’s one of the most popular language apps you can find and it’s a great way to start learning the language before you even board the plane.
The app supports many of the most spoken languages in the world, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian and Swedish. There are plans to add many other languages as well.
You learn the language by playing games that help you remember grammar, verbs, sentences and important words. The app will give you daily words as well to help get your day started. This is a great introductory way to learn a language and if you start early enough, you should have a pretty good grasp of the language once you land!
Google Translate
If you don’t have time to learn the language before you leave, the Google Translate app can help you.
You can translate words, phrases and sentences between 103 languages. This lets you learn important sentences like “Where’s the bathroom” or “Do you know where the hotel is?” or anything you can think of right on the app. It can also use the microphone on your smartphone to instantly translate a conversation in real-time, although this is limited to 32 languages.
The best feature is the image translator. Just point your camera at a sign or text you need translated and it will instantly show you what it says in your native language.
Automatic Call Recorder for Me
If you have a pretty good grasp on the language, maybe you want to talk to people in their local language. That’s great, but if you receive phone calls, you may not quite comprehend everything in real time.
This call recorder app for Android allows you to record calls to your phone for easy recall later. This can be great for getting directions or other important information over the phone in the local language. You can add bookmarks throughout each call when there’s import info you want to be able to find quickly. You can also search through recordings easily.
Don’t let the language barrier of another place ruin your adventure. Try learning the language!
Gabriel Brooks travels abroad on business frequently, often combining business with pleasure too so that he gets to see the top sites. He shares some tips on making travel easier.
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