Whether you’re on assignment across the world, or in an immigrant community across town, you may find yourself in a situation where you need help bridging a language gap.

The Google Translate app, on iOS or Android, is the most powerful way to translate between over 100 languages. Sure, you can type in a phrase and get a translation on your desktop computer, but there’s even more you can do on your mobile.

Perhaps the most useful tool for a reporter is Conversation Mode. When you touch the microphone button, Translate listens to a conversation, recognises which of the two languages are being spoken, and translates it aloud and on screen into the other language.

Need that in Portuguese? Conversation Mode has voice recognition support for 30 languages.

If you’re out of mobile range or just looking to save on data charges, no worries. For most phones, you can download a language pack for instant translations offline. And Word Lens works on all phones without a data connection.

Have conversations, read signs, and translate offline — all with the Translate app. To download it for free, just go to the App Store on your iPhone or the Play Store on Android.