Do you use translator technology when you travel in Europe? Effectively? Gracefully?

I have used my Google Translate Appall over the world. In a taxi in Japan, I translated our destination from English to Japanese characters. Driver nodded and off we went. Perfect.
You can download languages you need to the App in advance so don’t need wifi.

In my 2 international trips since Pandemic, I have used Google Translate website (not app), to translate to the local dialect specific needs I had while sick in India and one hotel in Liberia, Costa Rica only talked to me via Translate. As she started the conversation that way, I continued the same. I have used it in a conversation to a French person on a shuttle in Costa Rica. Though we both had skills in 3 languages, there was something I couldn't get across. Providing an address in local language makes a lot of sense, particularly when the characters are not familiar to me.
I can generally figure out a menu, but translate a few items. I also try to review the sample menu outside first, so I am not holding up ordering. But like you, I tend to try and start with my eyes and brain before heading to my phone. I used to say my travel comfort zone was countries where I could read the alphabet, but as I am way beyond that now, a good 'reading' translating app would be really useful.
EDIT: I should add that I typically type my needs in before I actually approach the person who needs to read it. Or if it is going to take time, stand aside to do it so they aren't just waiting for me.

I spend 6 months minimum learning the language before I go

The Google Translate app let's you have a conversation with someone. You speak English into it and it comes out in the other's language....and vice versa. You can also point your camera at the printed foreign word (menu, sign, etc.) and it will show up on the screen in English or whatever language you want.

It's free.

I've used it numerous times.

Had never really used it until my Camino last spring. Everyone in Spain was using it, so it kind of became the thing to do. Spaniards use it on emails and now, so do I. Servers use it in restaurants, so I did too. Taxi and bus drivers? Yep.

Last summer, ended up with a bus driver on a tour that did not speak German or English. We spent 5 days using Google translate exclusively to communicate. It wasn't perfect, but we made it work.

My latest use was in a medieval Jewish cemetery and I found out I can use to translate gravestones! This was so exciting to me. All these years of wondering what was written on these stones and now you can find out, even if you don't speak or read Hebrew. For those going to cemeteries in other lands, and doing geneology research, this can be a life changer.

Personally, I think it is fun to use.

I am in the group that uses the technology sparingly. I have developed over the years a decent handle on German, French Italian and Spanish, from the standpoint of being able to navigate and understand signs, written word, and especially menus, but no where near conversant beyond a few phrases.

Yes, in a restaurant, I will look up the odd word or two, have tried the visual translation...to mixed effect, but more effectively Google the name of the dish. Same with instances throughout the day, see something I can't figure out, and am curious, try Google translate, in that case, it is a learning moment, not a crutch.

I too will use translator to write out a specific request, and show to someone who can help, or to polish up a phrase I would like to say, but I have not, and do not anticipate using it as a device to speak into, having it translate, then reverse that process for the person I am speaking with. That just seems very awkward, maybe in an emergency situation, or when all other avenues have been tried.

But beyond that, the basic fact is that translation has just not been a big requirement, one can navigate, Europe at least, with not much need. It is something nice to have in your tool kit if needed, but not much more.

I find Google Translate one of the more useful apps. Not that I want to have a conversation with someone, and I find that the app fails most with colloquialisms and idioms. But, I've used the camera feature most often in grocery stores and restaurants to read food packaging labels or menus plus museum copy or signs. I'll also use it to learn basic word pronunciation.

Not so much for translation, but communication. In India I needed a sim card. They are a real pain to get by tourists. Anyway, the hotel 'knew a guy'. His read/write English was good but he didn't want to speak or listen in English, so we conversed totally by WhatsApp. Add that to your App list.

Enlightening spectrum of perspectives so far! Please keep them coming.

Anyone use a translator app that speaks French? I'd be nervous about using machine French, but not German, Spanish, Finnish, Greek etc. I practice before a trip, but French pronunciation is a struggle for me ....

I do try to learn some of the language before I go to a non-English speaking country. However, my brain is old and even if one has studied a language for years, having a conversation can still be a struggle.

It is turning out that France may be my favorite European country. This has actually come as a great surprise to me. So, I am very slowly studying French. I enjoy learning vocabulary and common phrases. I am getting pretty good at reading a menu. There are a few youtubers that each in French Restaurants and I will pause the screen and work to decipher the menu. I use Google translate when I see something new or something that I have forgotton. I have used the camera feature several times while traveling.

I have only used the "speak and translate" function once. I was in a "working" neighborhood restaurant. The server was young and I presume could speak English better than I could speak French, but she was comfortable speaking French and doing the best she could to figure out what I was saying. It was a great experience for me. We did great until the end of the meal and I just couldn't figure out what whe was trying to tell me. I pulled out my phone and hit the mic button and extended it to her. Without hesitation she spoke into the phone. The translation was "Sorry, your receipt has become corrupted". My receipt was soaked with water. I smiled, said No probleme and asked her in French where the toilets were. She smiled and showed me. I will never forget this small interaction.

I won't hesitate to use it again, but will try gestures and poorly spoken language first.

We spent a week in Turkey last May. Google translate worked perfectly. In fact at one hotel, that is how we conversed with one of the employees. We typed in English and it was translated to Turkish and the employee responded by typing Turkish which was translated to English.

Ms. Jo, I saw someone use it for tombstones just yesterday! Pretty cool!

I use it regularly for written communication with a penpal - neither of us speak the other’s language. And I occasionally use it for ordering at restaurants.

It was pretty funny to have a Georgian taxi driver in Warsaw use it to “talk” to me. :)

"Where can I wash my hands?"

That is the first phrase I always learn before visiting an unfamiliar country. I like to learn a few basic phrases before arrival so I can ask for directions, ask for a glass of water, request a bill, count numbers, etc.

In the old days, I had to look up the phrases or ask somebody who was fluent and then write them down, more often than not phonetically, to remember how to say them.

Now, with Google Translate, I can dictate in English and can get the translation instantly. I save the important phrases, listen to the pronunciation and practice. It is all on my phone. No need to carry a phrase book or handwritten notes.

It is fun way to learn some language, have a nice ice breaker to say a few words and the locals are friendlier when I make the effort. I have not used it to carry on a conversation, but I can see how it could be a life saver.

I don't use a voice translator, but I have been known to look up words that seem very important to the matter at hand. I learned basic phrases for most countries I have visited and really only have struggled when going outside the main cities. I find that writing down a place I am trying to go on a sticky note is very helpful--many people outside Budapest proper tried their very best to get me to the Ecseri bolhapiac on my first visit--one lady walked me out of the metro and over to a tram, and the conductor held up 4 fingers and nodded emphatically...in 4 stops he waved me off the tram. Did I find it? No, but it was an enjoyable process and I had better directions when I returned another year.

Our Italian friends use a translator and asked us to use the same one. I think they were way ahead of us using technology.

A Scottish man I met in France used his phone and Google Translate to talk to French who didn't speak English well. I've never really used it, but I noticed it worked nicely for him.

I'm more likely to translate the odd word and do my best otherwise.

No one has mentioned being in a country where the alphabet is completely different. This is where the translator can be really useful. Think Greece, Israel, Korea, India, etc. etc. Now you can read those signs, those menus, and yes, those gravestones. (I like cemeteries)

It can be a godsend for translation of menus. Perhaps I would not have ordered inadvertently and ended up with a plate of fried pig face.

When we were in Argentina recently, a waitress used a translate app to communicate with me that they didn’t have a certain item on the menu. It sped things up rather than us both struggling to communicate a simple thing. I have no issue with new technology.

It's fine if you need something but honestly, most tourism in Europe uses English. Quite frankly, I know Spanish and have tried Google translate and the verb translation can be hit or miss. It's okay in a pinch but still years away from communicating with locals easily.