Is there a need to consider purchasing a digital translator for a week of sojourning in Italy (English to Italian and so forth)? We have decades of travel in multiple nations of Africa, but this will be our first visit to Italy.
Posted by
2324 posts
I'll say NO. If you have a smartphone, the translator Apps should cover off any concerns
Posted by
Phoenix🌵
2732 posts
See today’s topic about Deepl app. I just downloaded it. Seems easy to use. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/first-time-using-deepl-much-more-accurate
Posted by
OP
27 posts
Thanks for your input. I just wanted to check prior to heading over...
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL
1669 posts
Google Translate will get you through 98% of any encounters. Why pay for an app.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
796 posts
Hello bpatcher,
It's always nice to speak the language but if you are going for a week and doing the usual tourist things the number of places you will not be able to get by with English will probably be very small. Google translate will probably be enough to get you through anything else you might run into.
I spent some time learning Italian before my trip last year but I mostly got the feeling they were humoring me when I spoke Italian but they let me do it. In three weeks the number of times I needed to be able to say something were very small and while it helped several times and I was glad I did it I would have survived without it. People in the hospitality industry know it is in their bets interest to be multi-lingual which is largely English and also German in the northern and eastern parts of the country.
Have a great trip,
Tod