Several decades ago, the language barrier significantly limited the communication of people from different countries with each other, but today, in the era of globalization and technology development, cultural differences can be partially leveled using software methods.

A little history

Machine translation is one of the first large-scale tasks that was set before engineers immediately after the creation of computers. It is noteworthy that the most popular direction of translation was initially Russian-English, which allowed Americans to quickly process textual information (including, of course, intelligence information) coming from the USSR in the late 40s and early 50s. Work was also carried out in the opposite direction.

Why Google Translate is the best today

Just like 70 years ago, today the quality of translation depends mainly not on the skill of the programmers working on the application, but on the array of data on which it is trained. Naturally, no company in the world can compare with Google in terms of the volume of processed text information, and therefore the quality of translation. In rare cases, highly specialized applications and services can compete with Google Translator, but for the average user we can safely recommend Google Translate.

What the free Google Translate app for iPhone and iPad can do

Offline translation into 59 languages (online translation into 103 languages)

These are all the common languages and dialects of our planet, not counting the exotic ones spoken by two and a half African villages. That is, it will be very difficult for you to find a person on the Internet with whom it will be impossible to communicate through Google Translate. At the same time, 59 languages are available for offline downloading (separately) and use without an Internet connection.

You can download language packs at Settings programs in the section Offline translation.

You can enter a word (phrase) either manually or by voice.

If necessary, the translated phrase can be read out by clicking on the speaker icon.

In addition, the translation can be enlarged to full screen by pressing this button.

Conversation mode (instant automatic voice translation) in 32 languages

If you go to a foreign language country and try to communicate with people on the street, then instead of text input it will be much more convenient to use voice input. You say a phrase in your native language into the microphone of your smartphone or tablet, and Google Translate instantly responds through the speakers in the language of the local aboriginal.

This translation into at the moment available for 32 directions, including Russian, English, German, French and other languages.

Translation from camera or photo into 37 languages

Another problem that Google's interpreter can solve is the translation of inscriptions, signs, and signs without text input. For example, when traveling around Asia, you don’t have to install all the necessary keyboards with hieroglyphs on your iPhone; you just need to point the camera at a sign with a Chinese or Japanese inscription, and the application will independently recognize and translate the text from or into 37 languages. You can also recognize text on an uploaded image in the same way, or even draw characters you saw the day before from memory (Google Translate recognizes handwritten text in 93 languages).

Phrasebook - your own list of necessary words and phrases

It would be a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity to create your own phrasebook. The application allows you to mark and save translations of words and expressions for later use. All languages are supported. To save, click the star. All saved translations will be automatically placed in the tab of the same name.

Handwriting

Simply write the text by hand and translate it into any of the 93 available languages.

You can translate individual texts or words offline (without the Internet) using free translator apps for iPhone.

Navigate the world with a paper dictionary or phrasebook containing outdated phrases and unused constructions, with the advent of modern translators that run easily on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, has become meaningless.

Why waste extra time searching for information, spending hours choosing words and, without understanding those around you, reading lips incomprehensibly dozens of times? Isn't it easier to seek help from professional tools available in App Store?

Google Translate

The translator application for the iPhone easily outshines its competitors in terms of the number of supported languages (103 pieces, 59 are loaded into the memory of the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and used offline (without access to the Internet), and in terms of available technologies, and even because for technical implementation and freedom of access.

The developers do not offer to pay for camera translation, scanning of manually written information, or for working with web resources available in a foreign language. Every feature built into Google Translate is free and even ad-free!

Additionally, the service should stand out from the crowd, if only because of the interface and the logic of the actions taking place on the screen. Here you don’t have to look for extra buttons or spend hours sorting out the details; the main thing is to select language templates and fill in empty text fields. Google's development will handle the rest.

Yandex.Translator

A multifunctional assistant for a domestically produced iPhone with an integrated voice assistant, photo translation without the Internet, dictionary entries that help you understand foreign languages and remember important grammatical structures.

The Yandex application supports 90 languages, but only works with a third without access to the Internet and helps you not get lost, perhaps, only in Europe, some Asian countries and the USA. And, although at first glance the listed capacities are few, the developers are not trying to dwell on the successes achieved and have already planned a number significant changes, which will affect future travel.

Lingvo

A dictionary for iPhone with a simple design, but an intuitive interface and a bunch of additional functions related to learning: the developers help you sort out those things from the phrasebook that are really useful, and also pass a series of tests and even a couple of exams.

The main disadvantage of the Lingvo application is the small number of supported languages - exactly 7. But you don’t need the Internet, and translation here happens at lightning speed.

Microsoft Translate

A freely distributed platform, not far behind Google. Yes, there are almost half as many languages here (instead of 103 there are only 60), but the approach to functional implementation is similar. Translation of web pages, phrase books and dictionaries without the Internet is also available here, and synchronous communication through a voice assistant is also provided, which instantly translates sentences to the interlocutor into the selected language.

Working with the Microsoft application is easy - there is a separate section for each function, and training with instructions is also provided for beginners. In a word, don't get lost.

iTranslate

A service for iPhone that is rapidly expanding with new offers and languages. The collection is already impressive - 100 pieces. A third works without access to the network. But it supports voice input, pronunciation assistance, and translation of text from the camera and photos. The downside is that the content is distributed for a fee. A monthly subscription will cost 349 rubles. While Google offers to travel and communicate for free.

A translator without the Internet on an iPhone will help you understand the meaning of foreign words even when it is not possible to connect to the network due to its lack or the high cost of communication in roaming. An application with built-in dictionaries takes up a lot of memory space, but justifies the large amount of space with its high functionality.

Google Translate

If you are looking for a translator without the Internet for your iPhone, the first thing you should pay attention to is the application from Google. It didn't support offline functionality until 2016, but can now translate from 52 languages without an internet connection. To take advantage of this feature, you must download the appropriate language pack.

Launch Google Translate and open its settings.
Select "Offline Transfer".
Click on "+" to add a language.
Download the language pack to your phone's memory.

Language packs weigh several tens of megabytes, so if you want to download Google Translator to your iPhone without the Internet, make sure you have enough free space in your memory. You should not download packages that you will not use.

Additional functions of Google Translate also work without a network connection. For example, instant translation when you point the camera. Previously, to recognize text you had to take a photo of it. Now there is no such need: the application understands all the words that fall into the camera lens. If a suitable language pack is loaded into the phone’s memory, then you don’t have to connect to the Internet to translate.

Another convenient feature is conversation translation. The application recognizes the language and provides a voice translation. 32 languages are supported, including Russian. Additionally, Google Translate has a handwriting feature that supports 93 languages. If you download language packs in advance, the ability to translate text after handwriting will also be available offline.

Lingvo dictionary without internet

The ABBYY Lingvo application contains not only individual words, but also fixed expressions, so communication with its help will become more lively and emotional. Lingvo also supports translation from photos. The iOS version includes flashcards for learning foreign words that sync across all iOS devices, meaning you can start studying at home on your iPad and continue on the go on your iPhone.

Synchronizing cards between devices requires an Internet connection, but basic functions like translation work without problems in offline mode. You can download 11 basic dictionaries for 7 languages for free. The number of dictionaries and languages differs because Lingvo offers specialized sets of words and expressions: for example, English-Russian and Russian-English legal dictionaries. You will find it in the list of in-app purchases, as well as two hundred other dictionaries with professional terms in different languages.

Promt

Another translator that works perfectly on an iPhone without the Internet was developed by the Russian company PROMT, which has been involved in machine translation for more than 20 years. When you download, you will receive a free English-Russian package; you will have to pay for other languages.

In order for the application to translate without an Internet connection, you need to go to the “Purchases” section in the Promt settings. Here you will find two offline translation modes.

Dictionary - translation options for a word or phrase, their transcription.
Phrasebook - phrases that will be useful in communicating with foreigners in different situations.

In addition, the application recognizes text from a camera or photo. Offline content available after purchase language pack. That is, you download the Promt translator to your iPhone without the Internet for free and immediately receive an English-Russian dictionary and phrasebook. If you need other languages to work without an Internet connection, you will have to purchase them separately.

There are other apps in the App Store that you can use to translate without an internet connection. For example, offline dictionaries are available for free in Yandex.Translation. A large vocabulary database is saved to your phone along with the English-Russian dictionary program. So there are a lot of opportunities for communication or learning foreign languages. All you need for this is desire and free space in your smartphone’s memory.

Voice translator — translating a conversation has never been so easy! Wherever you go, you can easily communicate in any country - Voice translator instantly speaks translated phrases. You will be able to communicate freely at the airport, hotel, store, gas station or anywhere else! Just put your personal translator in your pocket and use it anytime, anywhere! Voice translator is an essential language learning aid for children and adults - learn new phrases and listen to the correct pronunciation. Start using Voice Translator now and forever forget about the inconvenience of searching for the desired phrase in the dictionary - just say it out loud and your personal translator will say the translated phrase!

Features of Voice Translator

Automatic language detection in text translation mode
A useful widget that saves translations and allows you to access them offline
Supports more than 100 languages for voice and text translation in dialogue mode
3D Touch support - translate directly from the Home screen
Voice translation in dialogue mode
Best Voice Recognition Technology
You can speak or type the text to translate it
Smart text translation mode
Enter text even faster with smart suggestions
Transfer your chats directly to iMessage
Edit your translations in the Voice Translator service
Transliteration of text written in non-Latin characters
Message history
Copy, cut and share translations with one click
Works with all apps that support Share when highlighting text
Easy to use conversational interface
Listen to the translated phrase
Change your speaking speed
Male and female voices are available in the Voice Translator service
iOS 11 support