Never leave home without your handy, dandy (free) translator.

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Today I thought I’d take a break from the daily grind of games and tech-heavy apps that cost an arm and a leg and show you something…different.

I mean, the iPhone can do a lot of stuff, and sometimes it’s easy to look at it like a computer or mobile gaming platform (it’s kind of both) instead of remembering what it is–a phone. And what is unique about a phone? Well, it’s small, and you always have it with you wherever you go.

So what better platform for a translation application? Now, I know there are tons of phrase books, specific language translators etc. that are perfect for a lot of specific people doing a lot of specific things, but me? I’m rarely outside my zip code. Every once in a while, though, I will come across that one phrase I can’t understand. It might be a waiter in a restaurant or a message on television, but I have to know what the person is saying. For me then, there are two criteria for a translation app. First, it has to be free. I don’t want to spend any amount of money on an app considering how little I will use it. And second, it has to translate to and from multiple languages. I can’t be having dozens of apps taking up home screen real-estate to do specific jobs. I need a nice catch-all.

That’s what Free Translator by Codesign is.

The interface is simple. Choose from a list of over 35 source languages. Then choose a target language. The app then takes you to a screen where you can type in a word, a phrase, or a whole paragraph. Hit the “translate button,” and guess what happens? You get what is no doubt a garbled, literal translation. But you know what? It’s probably enough to get the gist, and if you are relaying your broken language to a native, they will probably understand what you need.

Now, the interface is a little lackluster. There aren’t a lot of features. Sure it would be nice to have a section that explains pronunciation or have a dictionary lookup option, but it’s free. This is a small, simple app for emergency situations.

There is one issue I have…the app is somewhat unstable. For something so simple, it does manage to crash quite a bit. When you re-launch the application, though, it remembers all your settings and even the phrase you were translating, so crashes are more of an annoyance than anything.

This one should really be on everyone’s iPhone. If you’ve ever wanted to know what a group of people is laughing about (in another language) or you’ve ever been stuck with a menu written only in French, you should grab this app. For free, who can beat it?