Remember that I Love Lucy episode in which our redheaded heroine, on her own in a Paris bistro, orders the escargots—only to be horrified when presented with a dish of snails? Hilarity ensues, especially after Lucy asks for ketchup, enraging the chef. Well, a modern reboot probably wouldn’t get made, since so many of today’s international travelers rely on top translation tools, especially apps, to navigate different languages. These trendy converters rely on algorithms and databases to translate written and spoken words from foreign languages into your own, usually making menus, road signs, and conversations completely comprehensible (as long as you’ve got an internet connection, typically required for use). 

Most translation apps work on both iOS and Android phones as well as on the web. While you needn’t be a tech wizard to use these handy helpmates for text, voice, and images, all have their plusses and minuses. Ahead, we’ll describe some popular options so you can choose the best translation app for your next foreign adventure.

Translation Tool: Google Translate

We’ve been Googling for about a quarter century now whenever we want info fast, so it’s no wonder Google Translate has become the world’s most popular translation platform, thanks largely to its extensive database of more than 100 languages. It’s free to use and translates words, websites, documents, and more. For typical travel assistance, simply type in an unfamiliar word on the the user-friendly home screen, and voila! One frequent traveler we know says it’s vital for menu reading and has saved her from blundering her way to a plate of pig’s knuckles. There’s also an image reader (point your phone at a line of printed text or handwriting for translation) and real-time audio transcription.

Google Translate has become the world’s most popular translation platform, thanks largely to its database of 100+ languages, plus it’s easy (and free!) to use.

No internet connection available at a locale? You might pre-download translations to serve as an old-school phrasebook. Some users have noted problems with vocabulary and sentence structure, meaning Google Translate is great for giving you the gist of unfamiliar phrases while bopping around Berlin, but maybe isn’t the best pick for diving into the collected works of Goethe in the original German.

Translation Tool: Microsoft Translator

Tech titan Wired deemed Microsoft Translator its go-to for travel, saying it’s simpler to navigate than Google Translate for text, voice, and images. Which means it’s a good bet among top translation tools. It’s obviously ideal for folks familiar with Microsoft products in daily life, as it integrates with other Microsoft Office tools. Just type or speak in English, and have your message translated into a language of choice.

Microsoft Translator is obviously ideal for folks familiar with Microsoft products, and also earns a thumbs-up as being super-simple to use.

A cool split-screen mode enables bilingual conversations between two participants and multi-person conversation translation with up to 100 people speaking multiple languages. Download offline language phrasebooks and language data bases to communicate without an internet connection. It boasts more than 70 languages, but translated text may not always be accurate. It’s free to use, though in-app purchases are available to customize the service.

Translate

Fans of Apple will be feel right at home using its dedicated (iOS only) free translation app, although it supports just 19 languages—meager compared to other apps. The stripped-down design of Translate is an intuitive snap to navigate, with a large space for entering text and an obvious button for voice translation; it’s also easy to save translations for future use.

Reviewers are especially impressed by Translate’s grasp of syntax and sentence structure, good for understanding subtleties of a foreign language.

Reviewers are especially impressed by Translate’s good grasp of syntax and sentence structure. This may help you understand the true meaning and subtleties of translated conversation and also keep you from sounding crass (i.e., letting you say “Please direct me to the nearest lavatory,” instead of “Toilet now!”). While awesome for helping the average leisure traveler understand foreign words and phrases on the fly, users must go into Settings to access Translate’s additional functionality, such as the ability to download phrasebook-like translations when an internet connection isn’t available. 

Notta

Here’s another option among top translation tools: Notta. Perhaps it was natural that an artificial-intelligence transcription company would enter the translation business, and tech-y types are pretty impressed with the speed and efficacy of Notta for transcriptions, translations, and summarization. This AI tool utilizes automated note taking to capture information quickly and easily—in other words, people talk, Notta translates and cranks out text—letting users concentrate on conversations as they happen.

While Notta has many cool features, its focus may be more on business uses, like quick transcriptions and translations, than everyday travel needs.

Notta works with more than 40 translation and 58 transcription languages, has an easy-to-use interface, and claims a 98.86 percent accuracy rate. Yet while the company boasts that over 2 million people rely on its service, it really seems to be more of a business tool than a personal travel take-along. It does, however, offer a free trial and a reasonable fee ($14.99 a month for its Pro Plan), so if you’re considering an extended visit overseas or launching an entrepreneurial project with folks in another country, Notta might be the way to go. 

TripLingo

Pleasure travelers looking for a bit more features, both practical and fun, from a translation app may want to check out TripLingo. Beyond instant voice translation in 12 languages and access to a live translator, it offers cultural guides, safety tips, a currency converter, and a tip calculator. There are also audio language lessons plus flashcards and quizzes for anyone hoping to amp their conversational skills (yep, yeah, uh-huh—slang included) and a 10,000-word offline dictionary for when internet isn’t happening.

Bonus: TripLingo offers translation help, plus cultural guides, a currency converter, and a tip calculator, among other features.

A big plus that TripLingo fans mention is its WiFi Dialer that lets you make free phone calls to the U.S. through a WiFi connection, which can save roaming charges—though some users have complained of the app crashing when doing so. A free trial version is available, and there’s a variety of monthly pricing options, from $9.99 for a single language to $49.99 for all 12. 

Where the Translation Apps Can Go “Oops”

You may have figured this out already, but you can’t expect absolute accuracy from a translation app because of fundamental language differences. For example, in English, the word “court” has several meanings: court as in date/woo, court as in tennis/basketball, and court as in criminal/civic. So if you’re in Italy, say, hoping to pick up a pickleball game, your translation app may think “court” means “tribunale,” which may not be fun at all, unless you luck into a fascinating true crime case. That’s why you can’t beat practicing a few helpful phrases in advance, so you can ask “Which way is the train station?” or “Are there any vegetarian options for dinner?” or “Does this come in my size?” Most native speakers will appreciate your attempts, especially if delivered with a smile—the ultimate language barrier breaker! 

Should You Go for This Gizmo?

The last thing you want when traveling is extra stuff in your purse, but we were sorta intrigued by ads for a translator pen, which purports to give accurate offline scanning in 57 languages. Social media has them on heavy repeat. Just slide the device over the text and read the translation on its 1.97-inch HD screen. It also promises real-time audio interaction (WiFi connection required) via 112 online voice translations.

We’ve seen the ads for those translation pens at up to $50 a pop, too, but keep in mind that most translation apps are free.

But most translation apps are free to use with your phone, and this little number sells for about $50, so since we’d probably lose the darn thing, we’re just saying no—especially since as of this writing, it only had one review (five stars, naturally) on Amazon.