When it comes to learning a new language, translation tools can be very useful. The best ones are accurate and will help you understand the nuances of the Spanish language.
WordReference is an easy-to-use online translator. It offers a feature called “Favorite Terms” which allows you to bookmark words for easy reference. It also offers a conjugator and example sentences.
Word Lens
Back in 2010, entrepreneur Otavio Good created Word Lens, an app that uses the camera on your smartphone to automatically recognize text and translate it into another language. Since then the tech has been picked up by Google (GOOG), which has now released a version of its Translate app with Word Lens functionality.
To use Word Lens simply point your phone’s camera at a foreign sign, poster, menu or news headline and the translation will appear on screen in real time. Word Lens will even take care of removing any background text or images, making it an ideal tool for restaurant menus and other printed materials. It’s not perfect — the more fanciful or decorative a font, the less likely it will be recognized — but it does work fairly well.
A number of languages are available for instant translation through Word Lens, including both Spanish and English to Spanish and vice versa. You can download the languages for offline use, though this adds a fair amount of storage pressure to your phone.
SpanishDict
As one of the most advanced study tools available for Spanish, this website offers a suite of well-designed tools for learning the language (dictionary, grammar lessons, vocab lists, spaced repetition vocabulary memorization, etc). It’s easy to navigate and feels clean and simple.
The site includes comprehensive grammatical lessons for more than 75 different topics in interactive video units with detailed written explanations and plenty of practice sentences. Each topic also has extra resources like pronunciation guides.
A unique feature is the ability to search a word or phrase and get a list of context examples with audio (similar to Memrise or Anki). You can even add words you need to memorize to your own vocab “Lists.” Premium subscribers have access to additional resources like grammar cheat sheets and vocab Phrasebooks for downloading in PDF format and a streak repair feature for if they miss their daily learning goal. Definitely worth checking out!.
WordReference
WordReference is a dictionary rather than a translation tool, but it is a great resource when you need to PDFT.AI translate specific words or phrases. When you enter a word, it shows you all of the possible translations and example sentences. It also works well with slang and colloquialisms, something that not all translation tools are able to do.
In addition to the usual features of a translation app (like an audio pronunciation guide), you can also save and bookmark your favorite terms. Another great feature is the ability to use a speech input feature to practice your Spanish speaking skills.
Using a Spanish translation app is a quick and easy way to translate large blocks of text. Especially when the time to translate is limited, this can save you a lot of time and make it easier to complete the task at hand. Plus, many of these apps are also free to use! So, why not give one of them a try?
Linguee
Linguee is an Android-based language translation app, a one-stop solution for anyone looking to translate words and phrases on the go. The app uses a database of millions of reliable translations to ensure that you always get the most accurate results possible.
It also features a dictionary compiled by lexicographers and offers a translation search for over a billion online translations, making it easy to find the right word in a snap. You can even use the app offline, which comes in handy when traveling abroad or working without internet access.
It also offers a specialized dictionary of legal terms, including the terminology used by the European Union and other international organizations. You can also find definitions for specific words and phrases using the quick search feature. Additionally, you can “peek” at autocomplete entries by pressing the dictionary icon lightly. Lastly, the app can help you find pronunciations of foreign words with audio recordings. Despite occasional bugs and limitations, this free translation tool is a worthwhile addition to your linguistic arsenal.
