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Best phrasebook apps for Android

By
July 3, 2012

A few days ago, we put together an app list for tourists and travelers to help them on their trips abroad, whether for business or leisure. You might have equipped yourself with all the right apps to aid you on your trip, from booking your hotel to getting around cities, but are you completely ready? Aren’t you forgetting something?

If you’re traveling to a country that is predominantly English-speaking, there’s no problem there, but if you’re off to a country that doesn’t have English as its first language, then you might want to consider gearing up with phrasebooks.

Of course, it would always be better if you’ve had some formal background in speaking another language, but when you’re in a hurry, these phrasebooks might help you out. It would be extremely inconvenient if you couldn’t get past the language barrier, after all.

Mandarin might just be the most spoken language on the planet, with about 1,025 million speakers all over the world. If you’ll be traveling to Chinese-speaking countries or interacting with Chinese business executives for work, make sure to have Speak Chinese Free on your Android device.

Developed by Holfeld Apps, this app will give you access to the most important words and phrases you will ever need on the fly. The app has clear audio recordings of native Chinese speakers to help you pronounce the words the right way and even work on your accent to really impress your colleagues.

Purchasing the full version lets you access phrases in 6 categories, ranging from the basics to business and even to relations. You’re sure to be covered in virtually every aspect of interaction. Equip yourself with the essential Chinese phrases by downloading Speak Chinese Free from the Google Play Store.

Just because you grew up on anime and manga or haunting the local Japanese restaurant does not mean that you can speak the language fluently. With the Learn Japanese Phrasebook app, you might just be able to communicate with Japanese speakers though.

This app was developed by Codegent and provides you with more than 200 essential phrases ranging from greetings to general conversation and even to eating out. You’ll never get lost because you also get to access phrases for asking directions, places, and transportation. Learn Japanese Phrasebook also comes with recordings of native Japanese speakers so you can get a better idea of how to say things.

The app does not require an Internet connection. All you ever need is accessible through your phone, wherever you are. If you’re going on a trip, you can also enjoy the Learn Japanese Phrasebook’s tips for travelers.

If you need even more phrases, you can access over 700 phrases by purchasing the pro version.

Interacting with Koreans isn’t just limited to being able to identify your favorite Korean idols or naming your favorite Korean dishes. The Learn Korean Phrasebook app, also developed by Codegent, will make sure that you’re not just reciting lines from your favorite K-pop song. The app’s free version gives you more than 200 essential Korean phrases to help you survive being in Korea or being among Korean-speaking people.

You’ll be presented with English text, the phonetic spelling, and the Korean script so you can identity words not only by sound but by sight, as well. That’s especially handy when you’re wandering in a city all on your own and you don’t have a guide to translate the signs for you.

If you’re looking for a specific phrase, make use of Learn Korean Phrasebook’s search function. Communicate that you’re hungry, for example, by typing in “hungry.” The app will then bring up the relevant search results.

Purchase the pro version of Learn Korean Phrasebook to access over 700 Korean phrases and never feel intimidated by the language barrier again.

Whether you’re backpacking through Asia or you’re interacting with the Asian branch of your company, you’ll notice that Asia’s languages aren’t limited to just Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Though there are only 60 million speakers of Thai worldwide, learning the basics of the language is still important.

The Learn Thai Phrasebook app has you covered on that front. Another app developed by Codegent, the Learn Thai Phrasebook app lets you sharpen your skills before diving into Thailand or interacting with Thai speakers.

The developers are dedicated in making the app’s pronunciation authentic and accurate, while at the same time easy to understand. You can download 200 phrases with the free version of the app, but to really impress your colleagues and Thailand locals, purchase the pro version of the app to access 400 additional phrases.

The other week, we put together an app list of the best android apps for learning Spanish. If you’ve checked that out, and you’ve jumpstarted your path to being fluent in Spanish, it’s time to spread your wings and fly.

If you’re heading to a Spanish-speaking country, interact with some locals and test out what you’ve learned. If you aren’t quite confident, take Speak Spanish Free with you on your Android device.

This phrasebook app gives you 133 of the most important Spanish phrases. Since you already know the basics like “Hello” and “Goodbye,” expand your horizons by learning phrases you can use to interact with people on the street, over dinner, or at the bar.

You don’t need an Internet connection to enjoy and make use of what the phrasebook has to teach you, which is extremely handy when you’re traveling and you don’t have an Internet connection nearby.

Your need to see the world might bring you to Germany, Austria, Switzerland or other German-speaking countries. What do you need to have with you? Naturally, a phrasebook to help you get around whatever city you’re in without having to rely too much on a guide.

With over 118 million people speaking German, don’t get left behind! Learning the language might take some time, but at least you can get a head start with Speak German Free on your Android device.

Thanks to this app, travelers can easily communicate with the locals in their first language. Get access to the 100 most important German phrases with the proper pronunciation just a click away. You’ll be covered on all fronts, from the basics like greetings and numbers, to leisure and emergencies. It’s always best to be prepared. Download Speak German Free from the Google Play Store today.

There’s nothing quite like expanding your Italian vocabulary past pasta dish names and cheese. Speak Italian Free will make sure that you won’t embarrass yourself when you’re trying to interact with locals in a number of Italian-speaking countries.

Heading to Rome, Venice, Florence, or Tuscany? That’s no problem when you have this phrasebook on your device. It’s easy to use; simply tap on a category that you want and tap on the English phrase that you want in Italian. Voila! You get the Italian phrase at the top part of the screen. It won’t take long before you’re saying “Buona fortuna!” with ease. Speak Italian Free comes with recordings of a female native Italian speaker, helping you learn how to pronounce the words the way they’re supposed to be.

Developed by Holfeld Apps, you’ll have the most essential Italian phrases at the tips of your fingers even when you’re not connected to the Internet. Speak Italian Free’s files are also compressed, so they won’t take up too much of your precious storage space.

Though we’ve tackled phrasebooks for some of the major languages of the world, we’re still not quite done yet. That’s right; next up is an app that will help you communicate with locals when you’re in Russian speaking countries, whether for business or for leisure. There are over 250 million Russian speakers in the whole world. Make sure you can communicate with them with Speak Russian Free loaded on your Android device.

Just like the other Holfeld Apps phrasebooks that we’ve covered, Speak Russian Free comes with the most essential phrases you’ll need to communicate with Russian-speaking people, as well as audio recordings of a native Russian to help you get the proper pronunciation down.

You can access the Basics, Relationships, and Leisure categories by downloading the free version of the app and you can unlock more categories and their phrases by purchasing the pro version. It also comes with Cyrillic spelling and Latin phonetic representation so you can grasp the language better.

If you’re traveling to more than one place and packing too many apps on your Android device is not only messy but taking up too much space, then opt for a single app that will equip you with the necessary phrases for several languages. Tourist language learn & speak, developed by srsdev, not only covers the usual categories but also extends to food and accommodation, telling time, and making small talk. Your back is pretty much covered.

It supports translations for Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. That’s a lot of languages, all rolled into one app.

Not only is Tourist language learn & speak packed with useful phrases, it also gives you information like a country’s language, capital, population, area, timezone, and more. While waiting for your plane, Tourist language learn & speak can also help you not just speak the basic phrases of a language but learn its writing system, as well. Tourist language learn & speak is sure to be your new traveling buddy.

Do you need even more languages to survive on your vacations? We’re wrapping up this app list of the best phrasebook apps for Android devices with 50 languages, an app that contains lessons to help you build your foreign vocabulary. 50 languages might be your traveling companion for when you backpack across countries, helping you learn new phrases or refreshing you on ones that you feel a bit rusty with.

This app is perfect for beginners who want to spell and pronounce foreign words, especially in various situations like in a hotel or restaurant, on a vacation, making small talk with the locals, and more. Make sure that you’re really absorbing what you’re learning through flash cards and taking 50 languages’ quizzes. Get 50 languages from the Google Play Store today and equip yourself with the languages necessary in your globe-trotting adventures.

Our list of foreign language phrase books is far from exhaustive. If your favorite foreign language phrasebook didn’t make it to our list, let us know what it is by leaving a comment below.