Translation app

I've found that electronic translators are not perfect, and in some cases will provide a completely incorrect translation. However they've improved a lot over the last few years and for translating more basic words or phrases (ie: without slang), they perform reasonably well.

My favourite translator is Google Translate, which I have on my iPhone. It provides access to a wide variety of languages so very convenient when travelling to different countries in Europe. It's most useful with an internet connection but it's also possible to download off-line versions of some languages. I always have full internet coverage when travelling, so haven't bothered with the off-line versions.

Thank you, Ken. Google Translate is the only one I've used, so it's great to know you've found it useful!

I like this app.

https://itranslate.com/

It has both voice and camera features.

The translation is rather literal but still works well and fast.

I'm a fan of Linguee (which is the name of the phone app, see www.linguee.fr). It translates phrases, not just individual words, which is often more useful. And it offers other language pairs in addition to French-English, which I believe is it's best developed.

There's an app called "Bon Appétit!" (not the magazine) that I find does a nice job translating menu items in a helpful way. I find a lot of times the English versions of French menus don't really describe the dish that well.

These are great suggestions! I might just try them all! Thanks to each of you.

I would suggest DeepL. In my view, and in the opinion of French teachers in France with whom I've discussed online translators, it's superior to any other online translator currently available. Google Translate is OK, but DeepL is better, in my opinion. For example, it does very well when its translations are run through the Antidote orthography check.

Having said that, you asked for apps for tourists. I'm not a tourist in France; I'm a resident for nearly a decade so far. So it's possible my needs would differ from yours.

I use Google Translate. So far, it's been close.

The only language issue I had was last week in Finland. Some of the translations in English using the camera feature were a little weird.

A1) I have 3 guests in my home that don't speak a word of English (and I am genetically predisposed to English only).
A2) We have had some lovely long conversations with Google translate.
A3) Yes, sometimes a bit comical in process but it gave us something to laugh at.
A4) Its amazing how well it worked and how accurate it was if you give a little grace to non typical wording in a few instances; non typical, but completely understandable.