So many apps, so little time...
With so many apps available, it’s difficult to know what the best translation app for Android is for you. Each app tends to have its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, some are more suited to translating between certain languages and don’t do so well with others. Some apps are more suited for business use and some are more suitable for chatting with friends on social media.
Researching all the apps available is going to take you hours and hours of precious time. That’s why we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Read our list of the best translation apps for Android, including the pros and cons of each solution.
Just before you dive in: If you’ve got an iPhone, you need to read our list of the best iPhone translation apps in 2023.
The best translation apps for Android
1. Offline Translator Speak and Translate Pro
Offline Translator translates between eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Turkish, Bulgarian and Chinese.
Top handy features: Photo translation, automatic language detection and a built-in dictionary.
- Pros: Easy to use and can work offline.
- Cons: Can be slow and there are reported issues concerning a lack of product support.
Price: £11.49
2. Microsoft Translator
A good all-round translator app offering translations between over seventy languages. This app can translate text, voice, conversations and photos.
Top handy feature: Conversation feature provides a ‘group chat’ facility where participants use their own phones and text is translated to your chosen language.
- Pros: One of the better apps for business and academic use.
- Cons: The user interface doesn’t feel very intuitive and some features don’t work in certain languages.
Price: Free.
3. Dictionary Linguee
Not a translation app in the pure sense, Dictionary Linguee is an app-based dictionary and phrasebook.
Top handy feature: You don’t just get a word-for-word translation, instead you’re given examples of your translation used in context.
- Pros: Free and easy to use, audio pronunciations, sentence examples, no annoying ads.
- Cons: Limited functionality and fewer available languages than some other apps.
Price: Free.
4. BK Translate
BK Translate isn’t one app that does it all, it’s several that all do their little bit when it comes to multilingual translations. For example, you can download the German to English, Italian to English, Japanese to English app and so on.
Top handy feature: The app is lightweight so won’t take up too much space on your smartphone.
- Pros: Very simple to use, free and not stuffed with ads.
- Cons: Only available to pair with English and you’re going to need several apps if you’re communicating in multiple languages.
Price: Free.
5. Google Translate
Still one of the best translation apps for Android, Google Translate holds a big share of the translation app marketplace. Google Translate features over a hundred language choices and can even translate from photos taken with your phone’s camera – no more struggling to order your meal on holiday.
Top handy features: Handwriting translations and voice translations.
- Pros: No- ads or in-app purchases, plenty of support and regular updates.
- Cons: Google Translate and many other translation apps shouldn’t be used for translating sensitive information. Once you enter your text or voice input, your information becomes the property of Google and it can use the data as it wishes.
Price: Free.
