Google Translate

68 of 100 · reviews
4.3of 5 · store
83,096ratings on the App Store
452reviews read

An editorial reading of the saved reviews

The category benchmark for coverage: 100+ languages, text, camera, voice, conversation mode, and offline packs. Free. Recent version issues include camera freezing and the conversation mode cutting people off mid-sentence.

Screenshots

What people use it for

Anyone who needs a free translator with the broadest language coverage and offline capability. Especially travelers reading signs and menus through the camera.

What reviews praise

The camera translates text on images instantly without tapping a button.
Offline language packs work without internet, which is critical when traveling.
Language coverage is the widest in the category.

What reviews complain about

Conversation mode is too aggressive about starting: recognition fires automatically and layers the translation over the other person while they are still speaking.
The camera sometimes freezes and switches to photo mode instead of staying in real-time.

What users experience

2 excerpts from the breakdown. These are individual cases, not a verdict on all users.

The auto-detection in Conversation Mode is too aggressive. When sharing one phone with a friend, the app constantly cuts me off and blasts out translations while I'm still talking. It causes a confusing overlap of audio that ruins the conversation. Please bring back the manual recording controls

GT has been my go-to for auto translating as I read text in Japanese for some time. But recently, the camera is freezing constantly and forcing you to take a picture. The auto-translate as I go is essential, and this update has made reading in real time next to impossible.

Mentioned for these jobs

Read a menu, a sign or instructions in a foreign language and talk quickly with a local on a tripTourists and travelers