We all know how this feels. You get to know somebody in the summer camp or your family takes an exchange student. You are having fun and everything is going well until you realize that you cannot understand each other because of the language barrier. You smile and nod your head, thinking about the phrases that you were supposed to learn in your classes. But then you remember your phone. It is always with you anyway and you should definitely know that there is no better built-in linguist waiting for its chance to act. Believe me, you should stop pretending and just take your translator out of your pocket because it is way faster than other applications and does not violate your privacy. Here is the instruction of how to become fluent in any language using your phone.
In case if you are using iPhone, you are lucky since the application comes built-in in the system. There is no need to download it from the App Store. Its name is "Translate". Swipe down from the top of your screen to launch Spotlight Search and then type "Translate". Find it in the list and click to launch. You see how simple the interface is which is great when you are trying your best to conjugate your verbs correctly. At the top of the page, you can see the two buttons for choosing the languages you speak. Click them and choose your native language and the language that you need. See the microphone button? Click it and start speaking. Your phone will recognize what you said, write it down and translate out loud with a very natural voice. You almost have your own mini-UN interpreter in your pocket. Actually, what you really need is the conversation mode. To switch to it, click the button that shows two persons facing each other. The page will divide into two parts and you will need to speak into your side while the other person will speak into his/her side. Your phone will recognize whose language was spoken and translate it immediately. Sometimes it guesses wrong but it is still much better than miming "where is the bathroom" for the fifth time.
If you are using Android, you will enjoy this technology even more. The name of the application is Google Translate and most likely, it is already pre-installed in your phone. Otherwise, you will find it in Play Store. Launch it, choose your languages at the top and click the button for typing (however, if you need the conversation mode, you need to click the button of the big microphone). Google Translate algorithm is very sophisticated and it manages to recognize even slang and technical terms rather precisely. To switch to conversation mode, look for the "Conversation" button which can be displayed as two overlapping speech bubbles. It is absolutely fabulous. It recognizes your speech continually and shows the translation on the clear screen. Once I used it to help the tourist to find the subway in New York. It worked perfectly and we both felt like real tech gurus. You can also use the "Transcribe" mode for longer speeches, for example, if somebody tells a story. It just types the translation continuously, which is perfect for taking notes in a bilingual class.
There are some tips that will make you look like a pro. Firstly, speak clearly and with normal speed since otherwise, you will get only the garbled gibberish in the end. Secondly, remember to choose your language before using it since I have seen people translating English into English for some strange reason. It is awkward. Thirdly, it is really important to download some languages for the offline mode. This option can be found in the settings of your application. In case if you are planning to travel abroad or you are in the area where Wi-Fi connection is unavailable, you need this function badly. It will take some space of your phone memory but now you will be able to translate anything you want regardless of your internet connection. Fourthly, use camera mode to read the menu of the restaurant or a street sign.
Of course, this technology has some drawbacks. It cannot manage idioms and complex sentences and sometimes sounds pretty robotic. However, it is amazing for the beginners and will definitely help you to overcome the barrier. You will make some mistakes and the application will make them too but this is the process. You learn from your mistakes and now you have your safety net. So do not be shy anymore and just start your conversation.
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