Worldictionary – Instant Translation and Search App [Review]

We’ve seen many translation apps in the Apple App Store before but I haven’t seen one capable of instant translation — until now.

The Worldictionary – Instant Translation and Search app does what Google Translate, iTranslate and other translation apps do — only better. Way better.

What makes this a remarkable app is how instantly it can translate words for you through a smart “recognition” technology known as OCR (optical character recognition).

How does it work?

It “reads” letters/characters/words real-time as your “pointer” hovers on them, then it searches robust networks available (internet, Google, Bing, YouTube) and gives you instant feedback/translation.

This eliminates the need to type in the words thus saving you time.

This is perfect for reading product labels, street signs, user manuals or just about any material you wish to translate.

It can also do full sentence translations. Just select/highlight the first and last words of a sentence and you’ll get the full translation. It’s one thing to translate words one by one but it’s even better if a complete thought is translated.

You can also get full details of the meaning of the word should you require a deeper or more comprehensive explanation.

If that’s not enough for you, Google, Wikipedia and YouTube search is also supported.

You also have the option to choose your preferred search engine via the Settings menu.

App Test Drive

1. Stability – No hangs or crashes encountered the whole time I was testing the app. I find it very responsive for an OCR/scan-based app.

2. Usability – Familiarity with the app is a requirement if you intend you make full use of it. While there are tips that display once you open the app, I think a first-time user will still find it a little confusing. But as with most things, practice makes perfect. All it takes is a little extra effort to learn it.

I suggest you explore the app as much as you can to acquaint yourself with how powerful this app actually is. Reading the Help section is a must. Otherwise, you will remain oblivious about app’s full potential.

I’ve tried using it on my D-Link User’s Manual and it’s been remarkably accurate and fast.

Check-out below photos of my test:

See that full Chinese sentence below. There’s no way I would’ve been able to type it in for translation. But of course, that’s not a problem if you have the Worldictionary app. :)

This app supports most languages (“translate to”).

3. Design – The interface is pretty. The magnifying glass design is very appealing for a translation app. The helpful tips that display when you open the app is subtle and makes the app intuitive.

4. Performance – I am very happy with the performance of this app. In fact, I find it very impressive. It works seamlessly from start to finish and it’s incredibly fast, even when it’s searching the web.

5. Price – It’s currently priced at $7.99 on the App Store. And it’s an amount worth parting with if you’re a frequent traveller, an adventurous consumer or a simply a language junkie. But even if you do none of these things, I’m pretty sure you’ll find it very useful for just about anything that involves communication.

6. Verdict – (4/5 stars ) This app is certified App-laudable!

This is how smartphone translation apps should be. Smart. Fast. Pretty. And yes, in that order.

Note:
This is NOT A PAID POST. A promo/redeem code was provided to RJMarmol.com to download particular app for review purposes.