Congratulations, you’re about to travel abroad. Get ready for amazing food that you won’t be able to replicate using that cookbook you bought, views you’ll be daydreaming about when you should be faxing those very important files for your boss, and foreign accents that’ll leave you swooning. Prepare for your visit by getting these two useful apps for anyone planning to go to another country.
Duolingo
Once you’ve decided which country you’re visiting next, download this app immediately and prepare to become addicted. DuoLingo is a free app (and advertised to stay that way forever) that you can get on your phone which currently offers 27 language courses you can learn, including High Valyrian for all the Game of Thrones fans. Play it on the train, the bus, while waiting at the doctor’s office, whenever it is the most convenient. Constructed like a game, the app motivates you to continue learning by keeping up with your streak count and instantly grading your progress. This app is incredibly user friendly and works seamlessly, which is why it was awarded best iOS app by Apple and best Google Play Store app by Google in 2013.
Google Translate
While DuoLingo is an excellent educational app for teaching you new languages, Google Translate is for those who haven’t quite become fluent yet. Use this app in the grocery store to avoid the mistake of bringing home Bleu cheese instead of blueberry cheesecake (oops) or to translate descriptions of artwork in the Vatican. You can download this app onto your phone and it translates languages into English (or whichever language you prefer) in real time by using your phone’s camera. Like any translation, Google Translate isn’t perfect and can sometimes be inaccurate but it usually helps enough for you to figure it out yourself.