A few things hold me back from international travel: money and language barriers. I’ve only been outside of the United States once, and it was on a cheap spring break cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. The pool for the whole boat fit a waterslide and a handful of small children. I spent most of my vacation reading and waiting to go on an excursion. I was 12. 

When I can bust the piggy bank and make it outside of the States, I don’t want language to get in the way of communicating with locals.

Translation applications are essential to understanding. Even if you have months of Duolingo under your belt, your vocabulary will still be behind native speakers. Get yourself a translation app and suddenly you'll be way more comfortable navigating communication in a foreign land. Read more...

BEST TRANSLATION APP OVERALL

TripLingo

This app combines multiple tools for international travel while maintaining a translation focus.

BEST TRANSLATION APP FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

Go Translate

Full features require some dough, but options like an integrated keyboard make Go Translate stand out.

BEST WITH SUBSCRIPTION

iTranslate

The free version is underwhelming, but extensive features are available for $50 a year.

BEST FREE TRANSLATION APP

Microsoft’s Translator App

The Translator App by Microsoft delivers all the essentials without a subscription.

BEST TRANSLATION APP FOR APPLE USERS

Translate Now

Augmented reality, Apple Watch compatibility, and an integrated extension are highlights of a feature-dense application.

BEST BACKUP TRANSLATION APP

SayHi

This free app doesn’t have key features like a photo translator or offline capabilities, but it has the best free voice and text translation of the bunch.

BEST-DESIGNED TRANSLATION APP

Papago

Take a design straight out of Silicon Valley but make it free. That’s Papago. Just don’t expect less popular languages.