WorldDictionary App Offers Point-and-Shoot Translation Into Over 40 Languages

Why would you want to type in a word to translate it when you can take a picture of it?  The WorldDictionary App by Penpower Technology, the same maker of WorldCard Mobile App, allows you to point your iPhone or iPad at any word and instantly translate it into several languages, from Chinese to German.

At first glance, I thought the app seemed redundant.  Why do I need this when I can just type in a word or phrase and instantly get a translation on Google?  But, after I used it for a while, I realized that pointing my iPhone at a word and getting an instant translation is much quicker than typing in a word and hitting enter, no matter how fast you type.

I actually had a little fun with this.  I was running around my house pointing my iPhone at random things.  Who knew “recipes” meant “mapishi” in Swahili? And yes, “tacos” in English means “tacos” in Spanish.

I did find a few issues with the apps ability to focus.  If you hold the camera too close to a word, the app can’t focus well enough to find the word.  This comes into play when you are trying to pick a word from a paragraph that’s in smaller text.  But no worries, the app does allow the user to do it the old-fashioned tech way, type in a word and hit “translate.”

The app is perfect for travelers, students or avid readers of literature who may come across a word they might not recognize.  The app gives you the ability to snap pictures of text so you can look up additional words in the paragraph.  It also has an “advance search” function so you can search through Google, Wikipedia and YouTube to get more information.

Version 3.7.0 supports a 4-inch retina display and fixed earlier bugs.  The app translates 27 different languages into over 40 different languages, so you have the ability to translate a Danish word into Haitian Creole, if you so choose.  The app works on iOS 6, iPhone 5, iOS 5 and the new iPad and costs $3.99.