When traveling or living in Shanghai, it's important to be able to communicate effectively despite potential language barriers.

Thankfully, there are a variety of language translation tools that can be incredibly helpful in bridging this gap.

With many different software options available, here's a list of recommended picks to make things easier for you.

 

iTourTranslator

This application features real-time telephone translation. If tourists want to rent an apartment or book a hotel before coming to Shanghai, this software solves the problem of remote translation.

iTourTranslator makes phone calls to 200-plus countries with a real-time translator. For example, when a user with a translator calls another person, the person doesn't need to download the app, but both parties can hear the language they understand.

It supports both on-site translation, including text translation, photo translation, conversation translation, and remote translation, such as phone translation, video chat translation, and voice chat translation.

It provides up to 119 languages and supports iOS and Android systems.

iTranslate Translator

It can seamlessly translate text, websites, objects or start voice-to-voice conversations in over 100 languages. It also has dictionaries with synonyms and different meanings. Its developer also provides different apps for various functions, such as iTranslate Voice, which lean on the function of real-time conversation translation.

Available on iOS and Andriod.

Apple Translate

Apple has introduced the pre-installed translation app on its iOS 14 or higher operating system. This application enables users to translate between dozens of languages in both text and voice formats, including Polish, Japanese, Portuguese and Vietnamese.

The app is equipped with a built-in dictionary that allows users to perform additional lookups.

The user-friendly interface is neat and simple. Users can download language packages, enabling them to enjoy the translation even offline. iPhone users can also use camera to scan text and immediately translate it (iOS15 required).

Please note that this app is exclusively available on Apple devices.

Tencent Translator

This is a real-time conversation translation app that supports multiple languages. It has accurate language recognition, high efficiency and free features.

It is very suitable for overseas travel, foreign exchange, oral practice and other scenarios. It can recognize specific slang terms. Very practical for tourists, international students, and people living in Shanghai to learn Chinese. The app also provides text and webpage translation services, which can help you access information from foreign websites in your preferred language.

Tencent Translation supports translation of 17 languages, including English, Chinese,Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Malaysian, Arabic and Hindi.

Available on iOS and Android.

DeepL

DeepL is a translation software from Germany that uses deep learning algorithms to achieve high-quality translation. It is suitable for the translation of references, identifying specific slang terms, and obtaining translations directly from websites.

The interface is user-friendly: Just enter the text to be translated on the left side and the translation results based on the chosen translation language will present on the right. Whether you want to chat with someone who speaks a different language, read a foreign news article, write a professional email, or learn a new vocabulary, DeepL translation app can help break any language barrier with confidence.

DeepL supports translation between 31 languages. You can also install the DeepL for web browser extension to translate faster and more conveniently with shortcuts and quick functions.

Available on iOS and Android, as well as on its own website.

 

Google Translate

As a product of Google, its translation accuracy and breadth are excellent. Google Translate is a completely free online translation tool. It has a powerful and versatile voice translation feature, which can also translate speech from multiple people at the same time. It also has a camera mode, which can translate text from images, such as signs, menus, or documents.

It supports translation of 133 languages.

It also provides a web version, and available on IOS and Andriod systems.

WeChat built-in translation tool

WeChat is a popular messaging app in China that has many features, including a built-in translation tool. The service supports 18 languages.

You can translate any message in a chat by tapping and holding it, and then choosing the "Translate" option from the pop-up menu. The message will be translated into the language you set up in the app settings. You can also untranslate the message by tapping and holding it again, and choosing the "Untranslate" option.

If you are in a WeChat conversation with a Chinese person, you can choose to tap and hold chat box to find "translate," then you can translate into Chinese while writing.

By choosing "Translate," content will be translated.

WeChat supports scan and translate content from document and images. To do this, you need to go to the "Discover" tab and select the "Scan" option. Then, choose the "Translate" option at the bottom. The app will recognize the text and translate it to the language you set up in the app settings.

Available on iOS and Android.

Alipay built-in translation tool

Alipay is a popular payment app in China that also has a built-in translation tool. The Alipay translation tool can help users scan and translate text from documents and images, such as menus, signs and flyers. Users can also translate messages in chat groups or mini-programs within the app.

Users can also use the scan button to translate, similar to the function in WeChat.

Available on iOS and Android.