Looking to buy a voice translator? Getting confused by all the portable translators on the market? It’s not surprising if you are. There are A LOT of pocket translators that’s come onto the market in recent years.
That’s a good thing, as you now have plenty of choice. You must also check what’s important when it comes to translator devices though as not all electronic translators are made equal. In fact, some translators on the market today are practically useless.
So, here’s a list of what to consider before purchasing a language translator device if you want a premium translator.
A low price tag doesn’t have to mean poor quality where instant translators are concerned, but often it does, if it goes below a certain price point.
Bear in mind that customs and taxes sometimes aren’t included in the price if buying online and shipping from overseas. Shipping costs also need to be considered.
The below things are things to consider when checking the price:
Sometimes the device is cheap, but using it is expensive. How is that? The majority of voice translators use online translation engines to translate voice and text. That means that you need wifi OR a SIM card using the voice translator.
While some translators come with built-in SIM cards, for others you have to buy them. What’s more, some have hideous roaming expenses, meaning every time you translate something it costs you, unless you’re connected to free wifi.
Some companies offer several real-time translators that come with built-in SIM and free internet usage in many different countries for life. Others offer offline translation, though usually its accuracy is limited.
Check the additional charges before you buy.
Some translators you buy require you download software and may charge for software updates. Always check this with the manufacturer before you buy the translator.
Some companies even sell apps, not physical translators and mislead buyers who think they are receiving a handheld translator. Others sell a device that work in a similar fashion to a loudspeaker, that can then be controlled with an app on your phone (the app being the real translator). In addition to that, some apps have been reported to contain malware.
Check the reputation of the company that manufactured the translator. Are they known for creating premium translators? Or are they a manufacturer in a far-flung country that has few online reviews? And what about shipping? Does it take a couple of days to receive your device once bought, or several weeks?
Beware that not all companies offer customer service - this is important if you have any problems with the device. So check that they have a dedicated customer service team and that the team speaks your language!
You will also want to have a close look at warranties and return policies — as always, read the fine print!
While we can all agree that there are fake reviews floating about, they are usually a lot fewer than the real ones. If a company/device has a lot of positive reviews, then you’re safer buying from them than someone else.
Reading the reviews will also alert you to things you might not have taken into consideration— many forget to check additional features, such as if it has a noise-reduction microphone which is necessary if translating in busy environments.
By reading reviews you will educate yourself, not only to if a translator is good, but what functionalities you need.
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Have you ever travelled abroad? Have you ever tried to communicate in a language you can’t actually say a single word? Electronic translators are a real help in such situations. Having a translator, you don’t need to worry about heavy dictionaries or phrasebooks, and you don’t have to struggle with yourself to find the word you lack on the tip of your tongue. All you have to do is to say or type the word into a translator, and after a couple of seconds you will have it translated into the language you need. The market is brimming with various electronic translators. Do you know what to look at in order to choose the best one? Here are a few tips:
First of all, just check the language used in the country you’re going to. The first feature you should look for when buying a translator is the languages it translates. You don’t need an English to French translator when going to Russia, right? If you travel a lot, the best option is to buy a multilingual electronic translator. Is the vocabulary limited in multilingual versions? It depends. Usually, it’s not.
Second, answer the question about whether you want your electronic translator to recognize speech. Cutting-edge technology allows you to speak to the device, not just type. Sounds awesome? Still, this is the reality. Say “hello”, you’ll get “ciao” in Italian in less than 2 seconds! Remember, speech recognition technology is quite new. It still requires connection to the Internet. If not, the accuracy goes down.
Imagine you’re in hospital in Laos. How could you understand what’s wrong if your translator does not have medical words? Therefore, the range of vocabulary is also a very important feature of an electronic translator. The variety of words you can find guarantees also the accuracy of translation.
You don’t want to offend anybody with an inaccurate translation. That’s why you have to choose a device with an as accurate machine translation engine as possible. The new trend in machine translation is statistical translation. This means that the translator just looks up databases in order to find the most accurate translation. The larger the database, the more accurate the translation can be. Remember, the largest language databases still need to be looked up online, thus the translator needs the Internet.
Perhaps you are learning a language and you think you don’t need a translator? You’re wrong. Electronic translators are often equipped with many applications to facilitate learning new languages. Such apps speak to you, test your grammar, and check your knowledge of vocabulary. You can forget boring books, just take a translator on the bus or train, and learn even more efficiently.
To sum up, electronic translators are for anyone who even has the slightest contact with foreign languages. You are sure to find the one which suits your needs best. This ranking will help you do it.
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