Only a few years ago, if a commercial photographer in Ottawa wanted to attend a conference in Japan, he or she would have to spend months learning the language before going or attempt to muddle through basic interactions with the help of an English-Japanese phrasebook. With the advent of smart phones and their myriad of apps, however, on-site translation is much easier than it ever was before. Here's some information about popular smart phone translation apps and how they work.

It might seem like something off of Star Trek, but there are actually apps out there that will translate words as you speak them into your phone's microphone, allowing you to conduct a conversation on numerous basic topics with that Pakistani family who live down the hall from you at Merton Street condos. With the help of the internet, there are millions of phrases that this type of app is able to translate, though don't expect them to be completely accurate or cover every topic. The most popular example by far is Google Translate, which contains over 50 languages in one app.

Of course, not all of your interactions with a foreign language will be spoken, which is why it's helpful to have a text translator too. Most free internet translation services are text based, using a huge database of words to decode that comment about Sterling Edmonton from Russian into English. These types of services often have a laughably difficult time with slang and grammar, but are useful for reading signs, menus, and pamphlets. Interpret, which is powered by Google and Bing, is one of the more popular translation apps of this type, as is Word Lens, which is recommended by business pros.

Combining these two types of translation are the apps that allow you to type or choose portions of text for your message in your native language and have it read out to you or a foreign speaker in another language. These types of apps can be very handy when you're trying to buy aquarium filters in Portugal, especially when you consider how inaccurate some voice recognition protocols can be. iSpeak and Odessy Translator Pro are examples of these types of translators, which are a little more expensive than the text database type.

If you're really serious about learning a new language, often the cut rate text and preprogrammed phrase translators won't be much help. That's why some app developers have combined dictionary and verb conjugation databases into their translation functions, allowing you not only to speak about your NJ car service in French but learn a little of the language as you're doing it. These types of apps, such as Ultralingua, generally focus on one language only and are a lot more expensive than the other types.