6 Best Language Apps to Master a Foreign Language

Today there are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world. With every volunteer trip you take, you have the potential of encountering a new language. That’s one of the things that makes volunteerism so exciting, but it can also be the thing that makes it intimidating. To make volunteering easier, we’ve done some research to find the top language apps for learning a foreign language and those that are great to use for translation while traveling abroad.

Read our list below, and then leave a comment to tell us about your favorite language app!

Apps for Learning A Foreign Language

1. Busuu

• A free app for iOS and Android smart phones (premium membership available)
• 12 different languages options. Most notable – Arabic and Turkish
• Take advantage of the audio and visual features to learn with photo and voice
• Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can practice your new skills with the online Busuu community, which is 25 million strong
• Busuu content is curated by educational experts and teachers
• There’s an app just for kids

2. Babbel

• Available for iOS and Android smart phones for $12.95 a month or $83.40 a year
• Best for the learner wanting a more serious approach
• Learn to speak, write and read with virtual trainers, speech recognition, grammar exercise and quizzes
• 14 different language options. Most notable- Danish and Indonesian
• Speech recognition to help improve pronunciation

3. Memrise

• A free app for iOS and Android smart phones (premium membership available)
• Uses fun, simplistic visual aids with a planting analogy for learning a new language – plant, water, and grow
• More than 200 language options
• Go beyond vocabulary and language to learn things like history and science
• Have fun doing vocabulary competitions with your friends

No time to learn an entire language before your volunteer trip? Not a problem! We’ve got a backup list of excellent apps to assist you in translating on the go.

Translations Apps for Traveling Abroad

4. Google Translate

• A free app available for iOS and Android smart phones
• Translates 90 languages via text, 26 languages via your camera and 40 languages via two-way automatic speech translation
• Language packs available for download, to use when you’re traveling or have a slower connection
• Easily share your translations with whomever you’re talking to by filling your entire smartphone screen with your translation

5. iTranslate Voice

• Available for iOS and Android smart phones for $6.99
• 42 different language options. Most notable – Croatian and Hindi
• Speak a phrase into the app to have your translation spoken back
• Option to connect with another user wirelessly so that you can communicate with each other in your own native languages, but still conduct real-time translated conversations

6. Waygo

• A free app available for iOS and Android smart phones
• Offers instant visual translation of Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters
• See and learn the pronunciation of the words you translate
• No internet or data connection necessary

No matter where you’re headed, you’ll want to know at least a few common phrases to get you by. You don’t need to memorize an entire language, but those in your host country will appreciate your efforts to learn about their culture. With these apps, you can eliminate stress and understand more during your trip abroad.

Ever tried any of these apps? We want to hear from you on Facebook and Twitter.