I would like to download a language translation App for my trip to Europe soon. Babbel has been recommended to me but I thought I'd ask my 'Fodors family' for their thoughts before downloading it.

We use translate .

Just test them

"turn up" then translate them back and find out what is offered.

Depends on what kind of translating you wish to happen. There are apps that record what you or someone else speaks and have a robo voice speak the translation through the phone's speaker.

Then there are times when you need to translate something you see in writing. A travel partner was using "Google Translate" - I saw him point the phone's camera at menus and signs and the translation appeared on the phone's screen. Very slick! I'm not sure if that text could then also be heard as audio.

I used Google Translate on a trip last year including a stop in St. Petersburg. The app is fantastic; not only can it scan text and translate it in real time, it can also translate spoken language into another language pretty effectively. (Of course, I have no idea how well it is translating language I don't understand.) One morning, the server at the breakfast room at my hotel who spoke no English (except "coffee" and "tea" it seems) was trying to see what I wanted to drink with breakfast. She didn't know the English words "orange juice." So I spoke them into my phone, and it spoke Russian to her, and she soon brought me orange juice. Not exactly a solid test, but it worked a few times like that.

There may be better translation apps, but Google Translate is a good one to start with.

Thank you all. Think I'll download Google Translate.