TRANSLATOR PURCHASE

We purchased a translator once but used it so little that we did not take it on more than one trip - it's slow, clumsy, and another thing to carry. A combination of 2 things has worked well for us: 1.)listening to travel language cd's (or whatever medium you are comfortable using) during the weeks prior to your trip to learn basic phrases and become familiar with the sound of the language. 2.) download a translator app to a smartphone. There are many out there for free or for low $$. We rarely use this but it's nice to have once in awhile mainly to decipher a sign or instructions. If you think you may need help with a particular medical or dietary need, print out the phrases or questions in English and each other language (use online translator) and keep the paper with you so you can pull it out if necessary. Most places in Europe you will find someone who speaks at least a little English and if they don't, part of the experience is trying to communicate and connect with locals using hand gestures, smiles, and pointing at phrases. A pleasant, respectful, and sincere attitude never needs translation.

I don't think very many people use those for the reasons mentioned above. We used a translator app once in Ukraine to explain that my wife is alergic to shrimp. The cafe luckily had WiFi. We use an iPod Touch., mainly for email. Its easier to use a phrase book and learn a few key words. These days many people in Europe under the age of thirty can converse easily in English.

..... Most places in Europe you will find someone who speaks at least a little English and if they don't, part of the experience is trying to communicate and connect with locals using hand gestures, smiles, and pointing at phrases. A pleasant, respectful, and sincere attitude never needs translation. i agree totally. happy trails.

Yes I can - RS' Phrase Books! The pronunciation is spelled out (literally!) and makes it very easy to communicate what you need. There are way too many goods things to say about them (divided into specific categories - medical, food, transportation, etc.), so I'll just let you look one over...And much less expensive, too. Be sure to become familiar with them first, so you can quickly access the specific section that you need. Good luck finding anyone here who has 1) bought a translator and 2) will recommend them ;-) EDIT: My link doesn't work, so just click on the "Books" tab at the top of this page, then peruse the phrase books. My very old one that I grabbed measures 4"x6"x1/2" - the new ones are similar. They are available anywhere RS' guidebooks are, including Amazon.com, etc., if none are available in your area. Very handy to have.

Bruce, There are some reasonably good Translators available for Smartphones, such as the Jibbigo series. They have versions for French and Spanish but don't think they have Italian available yet. They allow the user to speak a phrase in English, and the App will translate and then speak the same phrase in the other language. I've asked native French and German speakers how well they work, and they've indicated that the translation is "close but not perfect, but gets the meaning across". Having said that, I tend to agree with the others that a good Phrasebook such as the RS versions are the easiest and cheapest solution. If you learn some of the greetings and common phrases (ie: Good Morning, Good Evening, where is the bathroom, etc.) in each language, you should be able to manage just fine. As others have said here in the past, anyone in those countries that wants your money will have at least some English skills. You could also have a look at some of the language training products, such as Pimsleur or Rosetta Stone. I've been using Pimsleur for years, and it's been really helpful. I've always had the attitude that the BEST translator in the world is the one sitting on top of my shoulders, so I always try to learn as much of the language in each country that I'm visiting (within reason). Happy travels!

If you have an iPhone, check out the iHandy translator in the apps. It's about $1.99, and very good for all languages.

I've got an iphone5. I downloaded Google Translate's app, free, and it not only translates it also speaks to me in the translated language. If I had to, I'm sure I could type in the English, let it translate, and then either show the screen to the person I wanted to talk to or just let him/her listen to my phone!

I have jibbigo for Spanish and it is very helpful for those words you have no clue. Also, instead of looking up word by word in a book you can type in your sentence and it will translate. The 'voice' part I don't care for, so I just type in what I need to say. Cost about $5 per language and is much easier than a bunch of phrase books. It was very helpful when I was making all my reservations for Guatemala where the owner of the guest house only spoke Spanish. I know a little bit, but this way I could do all the emails within minutes knowing I was communicating correctly. It is also great for menus, signs, etc and that sort of translation. Obviously, it is great to try and learn and communicate in lots of languages, but this is a great crutch.

Thank you for all of your comments! We have ordered the phrase books for Italian and French.

One trick I have learned to communicate to someone in a foreign language is to speak louder. ;)