Categories: Technology

Electronic Translators for Traveling—Do they Really Work

You have a solid business. It’s doing well locally but there is a bigger market in Spain, France, Germany, and Latin America. The only problem? You don’t know any other language apart from English. Do you hire foreigners or learn new languages?

Electronic translators are small handheld devices that translate words from one language to another. They are designed for tourists and entrepreneurs. Depending on how the device is designed, it can scan words and translate them into English or the local language. With some, you can read out words in Spanish and have it translate them into English.

Do they Work?

Electronic translators rely on Artificial Intelligence to process words and translate them into a new language. The best devices support up to 170 languages and can be fed information in a variety of ways.

A typical electronic translator works in the following ways.

  • Voice Translation

The device comes with a speaker and a memory card to record the message. When your associate says something in Spanish or any foreign language, the device translates the message into English. Alternatively, you can say a phrase and let the device translate it into the local language.

  • Words/Image Translation

Like many mobile app translators, these devices have QWERTY keyboard where you type any foreign words you come across. The device then translates them for you. Translators that support image messages usually have cameras. Most of them can also support voice and word translation.

  • Electronic Translator Uses

Modern electronic translators come as handheld devices or as Bluetooth earpieces. Irrespective of the type, business people can use these devices in a lot of ways.

Communicate Easier Abroad

Whether you visit Bulgaria or Morocco, you don’t need to be fluent in the local language when you have a translator. Sure, electronic devices can’t teach you Spanish in a day. However, you can greet and chat with new associates without hiring a translator.

Touring local streets become a breeze as you don’t need any help. Simply type any street signs and have the device translate them for you. Some devices can also capture your pronunciation of the words although that may distort the accuracy of the translator.

Expand your Business Faster

It’s hard to set up a branch in the Netherlands when no one in your office speaks Dutch. It’s even harder when you visit a country where people barely speak English. Translators give you confidence when communicating in a foreign language. They make it easy to express yourself and communicate properly to your future business partners.

Once you set up an office abroad, the devices make it easy to communicate with your new employees. Of course, electronic translators are not all created the same. Bestreviews.guide/electronic-translators can help you find the very best devices.

Impress your Colleagues

It’s not always that foreigners should communicate to you in English. Carry your electronic translator on your next trip to Peru. Learn popular Spanish phrases and use them whenever you speak to your Spanish-speaking colleagues.

Most people are impressed when communicated to in their native language. Unless you use the phrases wrongly and in a disrespectful manner, no one will scold you for attempting to converse in a foreign language. Besides work colleagues, you can also wow your friends and family members.

A good electronic translator can help you make whole paragraphs in a new language. With the help of mobile translator apps, you can become proficient in French or Portuguese in a few weeks. Speak to your friends who understand these languages over a drink. Chances are they’ll be impressed and want to teach you more.

Finding the Right Electronic Translator

Electronic translators are efficient at translating simple words and phrases. If that’s something you’d appreciate as a business person that travels abroad regularly, find the best translator for you. That means you decide what languages you want to be translated, how the device works and its price.

  • Design and Build

Electronic translators differ in their design and build as much as any other electronic devices. You have the Bluetooth earbud that works with smartphones. With the small device, you key in words you want to be translated on a mobile app. The translation is communicated back as a voice message through the bud.

A different translator resembles the conventional calculator. It has a screen, a QWERTY keyboard or a speaker. Another translator resembles a smartphone but serves the purpose of translating words. Shop around to view the different builds and how they work.  

  • Services Offered

The primary role of the translator is to translate. However, some devices offer additional services like recording your favorite phrases. Some will translate offline while others only do it over the Internet. Evaluate several devices for the services offered and choose the one that best meets your demands.

  • Language Translated

If you are impressed by the design, check out whether it translates the languages you target. A good device will translate all the popular European languages. If your target is Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, confirm the languages translated. Make sure the device supports Arabic, Chinese, Swahili, and other languages depending on your preferred business destination.

  • Ease of Use and Efficiency

The microphone’s quality, the speaker’s audibility, the accuracy, and more features should help you know whether a device is worth buying. If you choose to buy online, read reviews online to find out other users’ experiences with the devices. With brick and mortar stores, view the devices and test them for efficiency.

Take a look at the buttons and other features that can improve the experience of using your electronic translator. Pick easy to use devices with other helpful features in addition to translation. Look out for features like the ability favorite words, and store phrases on a memory card.

To Conclude

Electronic translators won’t turn you into a bilingual overnight. But if you travel constantly especially for business reasons, you’ll find the devices useful. You type words or speak them out and the device translates them into a foreign language. That way, you can read foreign street signs speak to strangers and your business associates with ease.

Jess Young

Jess is a writer at the UK's largest independent press agency SWNS. She runs women's real-life magazine Real-Fix.com, as well as contributing articles and features to all of the major titles and digital publications.

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