English to Spanish app for phone

Almot wrote:
Good to know that Google Translation works offline. Apparently, with some limitations i.e. fewer choices when offline. If it works offline at all - recent reviews noted that it doesn't.

I never installed it, and don't think I will. With a proper system it's not that difficult to learn basics tenses, verb conjugations and a few hundred words. Took me about 2 years at a very leisurely pace, I think less than 150 hours spent in total. For when I'm short of words, I'm using a free dictionary app - DicDroid, it provides words and common short phrases.

DicDroid is a dictionary, not a translator. I would not rely on a Google Translator for anything beyond basics, because, as any translator app, it can and will screw up on the basic level already. Like translating "Did you see it?" as Simple Past "lo viste?", while in Spanish they more often use Present Perfect "lo has visto". Or, when you dial "Have you seen it?", it gives "la has visto" - almost correct, except for La. Spanish language is "muy macho", things are always assumed to be masculine unless otherwise specified.

We would take the opposite side to your arguement. It's pretty easy to learn the basics but the translation software is most useful as you go beyone the standard vacation oriented phrases or what a 3000 word translation dictionary can provide.

While always a good idea to get some basics down, if you are staying for any significant length of time, you will run into issues that the vacation oriented phrases won't cover. We've used it all the time when in stores where it isn't always obvious what you are buying.

If you are unsure what a product is, it's very handy to be able to type in what's on the lable and have the app spit out the answer. Say you are looking for a cut of meat or you need some work done on the RV, your basic phrase book is unlikely to cover it well but we've had excelent luck with translators.

True, you won't get a perfect translation but unless you are speaking to a grammar teacher, it does suprisingly well and most people understand you may be off on the tense or masculine/feminine but they still get it. Most of the time, they are quite happy you are trying and occasionally with help you with the correct translation once they know what you are trying to say.

We are huge fans of such a great tool.