Mind your language

International travel is back to pre-COVID levels and technology has risen to the occasion with a slew of new translation gadgets.

The devices mentioned in this article are generally available via Amazon – it’s unlikely you will find these for sale in Papua New Guinea.

If you travel overseas frequently and things are getting lost in translation, then one of these devices may be useful.

These pocket-sized gadgets are useful for simple conversations, asking for directions, interpreting street signs, and navigating public transportation.

Some are relatively simple, and others are more sophisticated, with touch screens, built-in cameras, pronunciation assistance, offline support, and accurate translation for dozens of languages.

A dedicated translation device will give you quicker results than fumbling around with a translation app on your mobile phone.  However, some of these devices do work in tandem with a dedicated smartphone app.

Here are some of the best translation gadgets, voted by international reviewers.

Choice Magazine

Anfier AI Voice Translator W10

Fluentalk Portable Translator T1

Timekettle Translator Earbuds WT2 Edge

Timekettle Zero Translator

Translator T10 Translator

Translator T8+ Translator

Vasco Translator M3 Translator

Travel and Leisure Magazine

Timekettle Mini Handheld Translator

Raviad Language Translator

Wooask W12 Translator

Hasled Language Translator

Pocketalk Plus Real Time Two-way Voice & Camera Translator

Timekettle Mini Handheld Translator

Timekettle Translator Earbuds WT2 Edge 

And the winner is… Timekettle WT2 Edge

Timekettle is a prominent brand in the field of voice translators.

In particular, Timekettle’s WT2 Edge earbuds are an impressive device that have state-of-the-art voice translator technology. This is probably the best solution, especially for business travellers, although the product is slightly more expensive.

Here are some of the features:

  • bi-directional simultaneous translation, adding directional voice recognition and smart noise reduction.
  •  WT2 Edge hardware requires a mobile application available for Apple iOS and Google Android.
  • With the WT2 Edge supporting 40 languages and 93 dialects, you’ll be able to communicate with nearly 85% of the world. 
  • Powered by 15 servers worldwide, the translation speed can be as rapid as 0.5 to 3 seconds. That’s all it takes to get your message across the language barrier. No need to wait for a long time in a conversation.
  • The four modes available through the app are Simul, Touch, Speaker and Group Chat.

Simul mode, short for simultaneous, is designed for you to give one earbud to the person you wish to converse with. What’s most impressive about this solution is that it has no issue with people talking over each other, as we often do, and the conversation flows more easily.

Speaker mode allows you to retain the earbud, repurposing the phone to output to the foreign speaker. The pods still operate as microphones for picking up each side of the exchange,

Touch mode is a variation on Simul, which allows the earbuds to be deactivated and reactivated by tapping the side of them. Where this would work best is when you are having a three-way conversation with another person that speaks the same language you do. Being able to selectively not translate everything said between you might be desirable and less confusing for the other foreign language speaker.

Group Chat mode is a special function that’s designed for video conferencing scenarios where up to 30 people can come together for a meeting without the need for them to all speak a common language. Using this feature is as simple as creating a group and inviting others to join it. Once the group is defined, translations are automatically converted into text chat for those that just want to follow what is being said.

A final word

We suggest you do some further research into your particular needs.

 




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