Psst! This is part of our Interpreting Services Guide – Check it out to learn more about this fascinating industry.
_________________________________________________________________
Much has changed since the introduction of the first iPhone, which is regarded as the device that ushered in the smartphone age. Now, there’s a multitude of phone interpreting apps to use for a wide variety of purposes. If you need language interpreting, for example, you can look for an interpreting app online, install it, and start taking advantage of the conveniences it provides.
Not all phone interpreting apps are the same, though. If you end up using a run-of-the-mill one that generates poor translations or something backed by incompetent human interpreters, you will just get yourself into deeper perplexity, with the language barrier becoming taller and thicker.
A Roundup of the Top Phone Interpreting Apps
If you are looking for an excellent phone interpreting app, consider the options below. We have carefully examined them for their dependability, accuracy, and user-friendliness.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/day-interpreting/id1345426250
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.daytranslations.interpret&hl=en
Highlights
- Provides real-time and on-demand human interpreting in over 92 languages
- Comes with dashboard reporting
- Subscriptionless access to the service, no contracts and set-up fees involved
- Available 24/7, 365 days a year
Day Interpreting stands out among other interpreting apps because of its emphasis on human translation. The truth is, despite all the advancements in translation technology, machines are still considerably inferior compared to humans. Nothing compares to the accuracy and reliability of an experienced human interpreter. Even with artificial intelligence and neural networks involved, automated interpreting is still far from rivaling the way real people do it.
This is not to say that machine interpreting is useless. The text to speech translations provided by many top apps have some practical uses. There are special devices marketed a travel companions that instantly interpret what someone is saying. Even Day Interpreting has its sister app called Day Translations, which comes with a speech-to-speech translation function. Automated or machine-based interpreting can be useful in situations, nothing beats human interpreters at least in the foreseeable future.
Top Features
Day Interpreting makes it quick and easy to get in touch with a professional human interpreter to address from anywhere and anytime. There’s no need to set an appointment or schedule. With Day Translations’ global network of more than 1,500 interpreters, it’s unlikely to not find one to handle an urgent interpreting job.
To use the Day Interpreting app and service, you don’t have to apply for a subscription. You simply have to sign up for a free Day Interpreting account to get a unique client ID and obtain self-service access to a user-friendly dashboard. You then have to set a four-digit passcode to secure your account.
The Day Interpreting service follows the prepaid model, which means you have to buy prepaid credits first (payment methods: PayPal and credit card). Once you have your account loaded, you can start connecting to an instant phone interpreter. The service is billed per minute. Your prepaid credits get depleted based on the actual time you used the service.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/chatlas-phone-interpreter/id1045886667
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chatlas&hl=en_US
Highlights
- On-demand phone interpreting app with a “personal” touch in over 30 language pairs
- Automatically matches users to the appropriate interpreters after they mention the desired language
- No contract or subscription
- Allows users to call the same interpreter every time they need the service
Chatlas is touted as the next level of phone interpreter services, providing and always at hand “personal interpreter.” It’s similar to Day Interpreting as it allows on-demand access to human interpreter services and establishes a conference call so connect the client and interpreter seamlessly within the app. However, there’s also an option to contact the interpreter via telephone (instead of offline).
Top Features
Chatlas also works like a prepaid service. You have to purchase credits first before you can be connected to an interpreter. The payment methods supported are PayPal and credit card.
What makes Chatlas different from Day Interpreting, though, is the number of languages it supports and the interpreters available. Chatlas only handles a little over 30 language pairs and has around 300 interpreters.
To use Chatlas, you simply have to select the language you need so the app can instantly find the right interpreter for you. The whole process of connecting you with an interpreter (in the automatic method) may take around 60 seconds, though. If you want to connect more quickly, you can manually choose the interpreter.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/chatlas-phone-interpreter/id1045886667
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chatlas&hl=en_US
Highlights
- Designed to serve as a unified interpretation platform
- Features advanced call routing customization
- HIPAA and EU GDPR certified
The Boostlingo service is designed to serve as a unified interpretation platform. It claims to be the “first and most comprehensive unified interpretation management platform available in the market today.”
Top Features
What sets Boostlingo apart from other similar apps is that it was created for language service agencies as well as for language support organizations. It is not mainly aimed at typical app users, but it certainly serves as a reliable phone interpreting app option for everyone. The creators of Boostlingo intended for it to become a tool for boosting efficiency among language service providers. It seeks to reduce the costs associated with the interpretation service and activity management and administration.
Boostlingo provides quick access to three main services: over the phone interpreting, video remote interpreting, and on-site interpreting. All of these services are compliant with the standards set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR).
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.migralingua.voze&hl=en
Highlights
- Specializes in real-time telephone and technical and sworn translations
- Powered by a pool of more than 130 professional interpreters to interpret in a minimum of 14 languages
- No subscription, setup fees, and reservations
Voze is an app that servces as a platform for telephone communication, intercultural mediation, as well as business interpreting. It is part of the services offered by a language service company based in Madrid, Spain.
The app, at the time this review was written, only supports 14 languages, namely English, French, Dutch, Chinese, Catalan, Eastern and Western Arabic, Portuguese, German, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Ukrainian, and Urdu. However, there’s no doubt that it’s good at what it does.
Top Features
The app is highly intuitive. It is designed to be easy to use. Even for those new to phone interpreting apps. The underlying service for this app, on the other hand, is available 24/7. There’s no need to subscribe or sign up for an account to avail of the interpreting service. The app guarantees no waiting times to have access to interpreting services. There are also no reservation and setup fees. Users only get to pay for the time used.
Using Voze only takes three steps: choosing the language pair you need, tapping on the call button, and activating the speaker. Once you connect to an interpreter, you just use your phone like a consecutive interpreting gadget. You just have to point the microphone part of the phone (to the speaker who speaks a different language) and the app generates the corresponding the verbal translation.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sayhi-translate/id437818260
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sayhi.android.sayhitranslate&hl=en
Highlights
- Turns a smartphone into an instant interpreter for 90 languages and dialects
- Also supports text translation
- Features male or female voices and the ability to slow down speech speed
This is one of the easiest to use interpreting apps around. Sporting a “conversational translation” approach, SayHi Translate makes it easy to verbally communication with people in different parts of the world. You just have to open the app, select the input and output languages, and start talking with someone who speaks a different language. SayHi supports up to 90 languages and dialects including Arabic, French, Italian, Chinese, Spanish, Afrikaans, Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Hindi, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Tamil, Thai, and Urdu.
Top Features
What’s more, you have male and female voices to do the interpreting. Moreover, you can also adjust these voices to a slower or faster speed. And the adjustments ensure that the other party understands your speech better. If you don’t want to use your voice, you can also type the words you want the app to verbally translate. Just tape and hold the microphone button and start typing in your message.
SayHi Translate, however, has a drawback: it only relies on machine translation. It does not provide the option to contact a human translator. Yes, it is a convenient language translator tool for many instances, but when you need complete accuracy that only human interpreters are capable of providing, you would have to look for other options.
Final Thoughts on the Top Phone Interpreting Apps
These are five of the best apps you can use for phone interpreting. Take note, however, that in most cases, you would have to spend for the interpreting service you avail of. Don’t expect a free human interpreter service. However, we don’t see this as a drawback. It’s impossible to find totally free interpreting services. No company assembles a team of on-demand interpreters just to offer their professional services for free.
If you need a quick way to find an interpreter for whatever purpose, the options featured above are among the best you can find. They work for both Android and iOS devices. Thousands of app users tested them. And all of them had positive feedback to share!
Get an Interpreter App From an Experienced LSP
When it comes to mobile apps for interpreting, ascertain that the application you are using is reliable and accurate. It is also important that it is easy to use. It only makes sense to choose an app created by a reputable and extensively experienced language service provider like Day Translations, Inc. Who knows interpreting better, especially human interpreting, than a company with an excellent track record in providing different kinds of language services to clients worldwide?
For all your interpreting and other language service needs, our company, along with its its global network of native language experts, is here to serve you 24/7, 365 days a year. Pick up that phone and dial 1-800-969-6853 to ask your questions about our services or to arrange the details of the language service you need. You can also reach us through email by using the email sending form on the Contact us page of our website.
Image credits:
All app logos are from their respective Google Play pages.
References: