With cellphones, UMPCs and other small computers finding their way into people’s bags and pockets, many folks are assuming that electronic translators have mostly gone out of style. While that may be true to some extent, I am yet to see a software for one of those versatile handhelds do the same specialized service that electronic translators provide. And it is for that reason that you will still find people leaving their iPods and PDAs at home when they’re on a trip, choosing to slip a personal travel translator in their pocket instead.
Electronic translators, at the core, are basically digital dictionaries. However, with advancing technology, they now do plenty of additional functions beyond giving you the equivalent of one word in your target language. Many of them now incorporate features such as immediate translation of complete phrases for various situations, vocabulary practice exercises, language games and more.
If you’re traveling, an electronic translator will come very handy, probably more so than equivalent software designed for cellphones and other handheld devices. Need to ask for directions but don’t know how to string a proper question together? Just find the equivalent phrase on the travel translator and it can do all the talking for you.
Do you need one? If you’re spending most of your time learning from a language practice software at home, only occasionally going out of your way to practice with fellow learners or a group, then you probably won’t need one. What would you do with it, after all, when you’re grocery shopping, catching a movie at the local theater or eating lunch at McDonald’s? However, if you’ve been looking for some portable language learning, these travel translators usually have a number of programs exactly for that built in, making it a better option compared to downloading stuff for your iPod or other makeshift methods.