Real Time Translation With Worldictionary
Worldictionary - Instant Translator / Portable Translator ($4.99) by Penpower Technology Ltd. is a translation app that allows users to translate foreign words through their iPhone’s camera. The app also allows users to type in words through the text translation feature. The app is supported by Google and must be connected to the Internet to function.
Holding the crosshair over text, the app translates individual words. This is useful for translating words that cannot be typed like those in Chinese or Japanese. The last three words translated are displayed in a box on the bottom right corner of the screen. Tapping on one of these words will display a definition page with usage examples. Useful words can be bookmarked and viewed later through the bookmarks tab.
By tapping on the magnifying glass, the app will take a picture and save it to the camera roll. Tapping on individual words in a picture will highlight and translate them. This makes it easier to translate larger blocks of text.
When translating in real-time, the app is not very accurate. Any movement of the hand causes the translation to change, and quite often the words are translated differently on different occasions. This is especially irritating when translating into a language that does not use the English alphabet.
This app seems especially useful for travellers. When in foreign countries, I can see this app being handy with translating street signs and menu items. The app itself is well developed and user friendly. But, you can only translate one word at a time, making the translation of sentences a tedious process.
I think this app is well worth $4.99, translating foreign languages is made easy and fun. If you’re planning on travelling somewhere that speaks other languages, I recommend this app.
