I am planning a trip to Italy and I will be visiting a small village with many unknown relatives. I speak and understand a little Italian and my relatives speak very little English. the conversations will not be your typical things like ordering food or directions to hotel, etc. I am thinking that I would like to purchase a portable language translator that does not require the internet (the village is 30 plus miles SE of Rome with a pop of about 1200). Has anyone used such a device. Any advice would be appreciated.
pipermajor
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
12689 posts
Are you sure that the village doesn't have good internet? I've been to a lot of places in Europe, including some very tiny villages, and I haven't found one yet that didn't have decent internet.
Posted by
Belgium
504 posts
Yes, many villages without mobile coverage in that region
https://www.nperf.com/nl/map/IT/3169070.Rome/230.TIM-Mobile/signal?ll=41.8209232457178&lg=12.542386910832205&zoom=12
Posted by
Minnesota
784 posts
I use Google Translate on my phone. You can download any language in advance and then use it without access to the internet. To do this, go to your account, scroll down to “downloaded languages” and choose the language you want to download.
Posted by
Belgium
504 posts
Renee,
it doesn't work with voice in that way
Posted by
54 posts
Here's an article link describing some options:
https://www.travelandleisure.com/digital-translators-8785743
I've seen these used in Japan in hotels and at a police station for Japanese to English and vice versa. It appears that they require some sort of internet connection or wireless connection to work. They are pretty handy. The ones I saw translated the speakers's words to text and then you look at the screen to read it. I bit cumbersome but handy for brief conversations.
It is probably worth checking reviews as to which are the most useful and what features they have. I have not seen one used for any kind of lengthy conversation though maybe that might be doable. Generally I just use the translation app on my phone as that is handy but again that only really works for brief interactions.
Posted by
Bend, OR
2194 posts
Have you been in contact with your family where they know you are coming? We had a similar circumstance in a small village in Switzerland and my husband’s family found relatives with a bit of English to help translate.