by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: September 23, 2010

It is a delightful experience to discover applications that meet so many needs when we have an Android phone. The better part of the Android marketplace is the competition that goes on. There is usually no need to put up with an app that has less than 4 of 5 stars in the user's ratings. The system is further refined with the user's comments. The comments will not fail to let the potential app user know if there are bugs, problems with a particular model of Android phone, and whether the app has any other flaws and faults.

One of the biggest flaws of all of the translator apps is that someone always comes along to claim that the translation is not exactly up to par. But who cares about one or two person's need to have regional minutiae or today's latest language fad covered to the last detail? Not a person who needs a quick and general translation or understanding of a word or phrase without a lot of argument, that is for sure!

There are plenty of language translator apps in the Android marketplace. All of the ones that are mentioned here have both written word and spoken examples.

Google Translator is one of the most popular in the Android market. With over 53 languages to work with, the translator should cover the main communications that are needed in the world. This translator allows voice to text and has some translations that are spoken. An added feature is the rich dictionary that, like the new Google search, will give more phrases that relate to the word and that might help.

Google Goggles is an Android app that allows you to search for text results based on a photo of an object. There is now a translation feature for Goggles! Simply take a picture of an object and a text translation is supposed to happen. The languages are French, Italian, English, Spanish and German, with more developments to come.

Voice Dictionary covers 31 languages and it has similar basic features as Google Translator, including text to voice and dictionary definitions of the word that is being translated.

Trippo Mondo has good reviews for the quality of its voice feature, as it does not sound robotic. There are over 30 supported languages, an easy interface and one of the better text to voice technologies.

For improving overall language skills, there are flashcard apps that have mixed reviews. But most of them work as promised, giving a good way to practice and to refine pronunciation over time.

If Latin is of interest, there is an extensive set of latin phrases in alphabetical order in the "Latin Phrases" app.

In summary, the features that should be included in a good translator app for Android include voice to text  ability, extended dictionary features and easy user interfaces. Photo to text is an added benefit.

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