Italian Language And Map Apps

Mike,

Go to Google Translate. On my IPhone 4s I can type in a word or a basic phrase & it will give me an audio pronunciation when I press the speaker icon. This helps me in advance of entering Europe.

Rick Steve's phrase books give the phonetic pronunciation for basics. Google Translate will.help refine the pronunciation.

:-)

Mike,

I have Google Translate on my iPhone and it seems to work well. You could also have a look at Vocre or Jibbigo. I'm not sure of Map app's?

I've found the translators are good for reference, but somewhat awkward to use in real life situations. The best translator in the world is the one sitting on top of your shoulders, so I'd suggest learning some of the common polite words and phrases. You'll probably find that works quite well as most of the people you'll be dealing with will be able to function in English to some extent.

Google Translate is great and you can scan text with your phone camera and it will automatically translate. Make sure you download the Italian language before going so you can use it off line.

I love Sygic for an offline map. You download the maps at home and then use it in Italy using the phone's inbuilt GPS. Made by Tom Tom.

If you actually want to learn some Italian, Duolingo is a great free app where you will learn the language basics, including speaking, writing and reading. Plus it is super fun. If you have the time, definitely recommend it.

For driving, see also Maps & Apps for Navigating Europe.