Google Translate has been available to iOS users for a couple of years now, but Google has now released a dedicated app that works in much the same way as the desktop version of the software. Google Translate can be used on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch in a number of ways, helping you out on your travels translating words and phrases into a number of languages.

One of the most headline grabbing features of the app is its ability to recognise speech and provide a translation in your chosen language. This option is available in 15 languages, and while it is an interesting and potentially useful feature, speech recognition is far from perfect and this can lead to some interesting results. Even in a perfectly silent room, clearly spoken phrases can be completely misinterpreted by the app, so the prospects for using the app in a shop, market or other real world scenario where there is likely to be environmental noise are limited.

Google Translate does a far better job when it comes to translating typed text – there is obviously far less chance for misunderstandings – and the number of supported languages increases to more than 50. This goes far beyond the usual selection of European languages that are usually found in translation tools, and is all the more impressive considering the app is available free of charge.

Having an app that provides you with a translation of what you need to say is all well and good, but pronunciation is still going to be a problem. However, providing you are translating to one of 23 languages that support the feature, Google Translate can read back your translated text to you – albeit in a rapidly spoken and often hard to understand voice.

Should all else fail, when you are trying to communicate with someone who speaks a different language, you could always resort to simply showing them the translated text on the screen of your iOS device. To this end, Google Translate provides you with the option of displaying translated text in an enlarged full screen mode for easier viewing. If there are words and phrases you find that you need to use frequently, they can be starred within the app for easy access. This not only means that the entries can be more easily located without the need to perform a new translation each time, but also that the translations are available in offline mode – an internet connection is usually needed to translate text, and this could become expensive when roaming charges are taken into account when abroad.

Find out more about the app and download yourself a copy by paying a visit to the Google Translate review page.