Learning a language takes time and can be extremely difficult—so there’s no shame in getting a little help from Korean translators. They can make your Korean studies more fun, efficient and interactive, while also bridging the gap between learning and understanding.
Here are six terrific Korean translator apps so you don’t get lost in translation.
The Naver translator app is the Godfather of Korean translator apps.
Developed by Korea’s top search engine, Naver, this brilliant app delivers the most accurate and complete Korean-English and English-Korean translations in an instant.
The app lets you record yourself (or a Korean native) and then transcribes and delivers instant written translations of your speech as well. You can also access the dictionary from the homepage.
Every translation comes with a variety of model sentences using key words featured in your translations to make learning more effective. Lastly, the app is available in multiple languages.
This is an app that has also been developed by Naver, but rather than a dictionary, it’s more of a simple translator app.
It doesn’t give example sentences like the previous one, and is perfect for straightforward translations.
Papago is an AI translator and is probably the most similar to Google Translator in terms of features. You can translate images after taking pictures of text, translate offline, and simultaneously translate live conversations.
It’s another app that is incredibly popular for Korean native speakers and Korean learners, so it’s definitely one that you should have on your phone.
Of course, we had to include this one in the list! The world’s most famous translator is also amazing when it comes to the Korean language.
Google Translate includes translations from Korean into 108 languages and offline translations for 58 languages. You can translate text in images just by pointing the camera or you can translate from a picture, if you prefer.
You can also write on your phone screen and the app will translate what you’ve written. The voice-to-text function allows you to speak into your phone and translate on the go. You can’t go wrong with this one!
If you’re looking for something a bit more sophisticated, Microsoft Translator is especially useful for business people or those who need a few extra features.
There’s a split-screen translation function for two people having a bilingual conversation. But perhaps the most impressive is that it can accommodate up to 100 people having an in-person conversation. All you need to do is sync your devices.
For this reason, it is also used in the education field by lecturers to communicate with their students. Plus, it’s recommended as an app for those who are hard of hearing due to it’s excellent transcription skills. Now that’s impressive!
This simple app is perfect for Korean students looking for a translator app that gets the job done and can help them in their studies.
It provides both oral and written translations of complete texts and words and often lists multiple translation options for greater accuracy and to mitigate errors. This is also a smart way for you to expand your vocabulary as well as learn similar structures and understand why they were suggested by the translator.
The app lets you share your translations via text and email, and save words and translated texts so you can access them in the future.
iTranslate is another popular app. Clean and easy to use, it uses voice recognition and translation technology to deliver accurate translations in an instant.
It lets you choose to deliver voice translations from a male or female voice, giving the interaction a more personal, friendly feel.
The app features romanizations as well as word suggestions when you’re typing, perfect if you’re just beginning your journey with Korean.
It also lets you browse through recent translations and has a phrasebook for every language. The only thing is that app is a bit pricey. There’s a 7-day free trial, then it’s $5.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
Why Use Korean Translator Apps?
They help you verify meaning. While Korean dictionary apps and translator apps do overlap somewhat, some dictionary apps only focus on words and structures, while Korean translator apps do more of the translation legwork for you. They can help you grasp the sense of a text or paragraph very quickly by providing you with readily translated content. Some Korean translator apps even go beyond written content and allow you to translate oral speech and conversations as well.
They’re convenient. Korean translator apps only need to be downloaded once to be used at will, forever. Once uploaded to your phone, it’s up to you to benefit from them. Think of them as a human Korean translator that you can take with you and that literally fits in your pocket. It doesn’t get any more convenient than that!
They’re often free to use. These powerful tools are often entirely free to use, and they’re constantly upgraded for accuracy. Concretely, using them is similar to adding an extra layer of verification that you don’t even have to pay for. That’s some nice gravy.
They’re straightforward. A few of them will include dictionaries and word tools as well, but the majority of Korean translator apps do just that: translate your content, instantly. This single purpose makes them extremely easy to use, meaning that you won’t have to learn how to navigate the app to generate translations. Most of them also feature a user-friendly interface, making the translation experience as pleasant as it is efficient.
They work well in combination with learning apps. Translator apps can open a whole new world to you by helping you understand language and vocabulary that might normally be out of your reach. The trick is to use them in conjunction with good supplementary apps that can give you a well-rounded knowledge of the language.
For example, the FluentU language learning program offers a library of native video clips.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
Opt for established translator apps. It’s best to choose apps that are developed by an established Korean language or tech company. Stick to translator apps that are great at what you need: delivering top-notch translations. And feel free to download additional Korean learning apps as well if necessary. This article features a good selection to get you started.
Find an app that meets your goal. Are you looking to use the app during your travels to Korea or are you looking to deepen your understanding of the Korean language? These are very different purposes and make a difference in the level of accuracy, complexity and technicality in an ideal translator app. Your purpose will also impact the types of features you may need. Travelers with limited previous exposure to Korean may prefer voice recognition whereas dedicated learners may need to focus on a solid app that delivers accurate instant written translations.
Read the reviews. In addition to judging the quality of the app itself, app store reviewers will give you a unique, human perspective of what the app’s most useful features are, how to best use it and, most importantly, its flaws. It’s a good indicator to determine whether this is the right app for you or not prior to downloading it.
Test a variety of free apps to find one that best suits your needs. No two users are the same, so the ultimate judge is, and always will be, you. It’s a good strategy to download and test a variety of free apps available on the app store. Play with them and pick the one that works best for you. Sometimes, reasons for loving an app may boil down to things as seemingly trivial as the color of its interface, font and overall personality!
Now that you’re equipped with the best Korean translator apps, the Korean language will hold no secrets for you.
FluentU makes it possible to learn with K-pop videos, funny commercials, entertaining web series and more. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:
FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It's already hand-picked the best videos for you (which are organized by level and topic), so all you have to do is simply choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started.
Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.
Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.
You can use FluentU’s unique Quiz Mode to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions.
FluentU keeps track of what you're learning, and tells you exactly when it's time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.
Review sessions use video context to help embed the words in your memory.
