If you want to hear phrases spoken aloud with no signal, start with a translator that plays audio and works with downloaded languages: Apple's Translate app is free, already on your iPhone, and translates entirely on the phone once you download the languages. iTranslate has the biggest ready-made phrasebook we found (its listing says over 250 predefined phrases, with male or female voices), but on its own site offline mode is an iTranslate PRO feature. Google Translate is free and offline after you download a language, though its phrasebook is the phrases you star yourself. Roam Offline, which we make, has a short phrasebook with written pronunciation and no audio: better for saying a few phrases yourself than for playing them to someone.
Who wrote this: the maker of Roam Offline (Vilde Vevatne, an independent developer). Roam Offline is our app, so read our view of it with that in mind. Nobody paid to be included here, and there are no affiliate links. Facts about other apps come from their own App Store listings, websites and help pages, checked November 8, 2026; prices are US App Store prices and can change.
Audio or written pronunciation?
Both help, in different moments. Audio is best when you want to hear a phrase or play it to someone. Written pronunciation ("lah-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH") lets you say it yourself, needs no speaker or volume, and is easy to glance at on a train. If speaking a little of the language is the goal, a written guide you can practise from is enough; if you just need to be understood, audio wins.
The options, side by side
| App | Phrasebook | Pronunciation | Offline | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Translate | No ready-made list; you save favorite translations | Plays audio of a translation, with adjustable speed | Downloaded languages translate entirely on the iPhone (settings) | Free, built into iPhone |
| iTranslate | Over 250 predefined phrases, plus your own custom phrasebook | Male or female voices; transliteration | Offline mode with downloaded language packs; text offline in 41 languages, per its site, which lists offline mode as PRO-only | Free download; PRO listed at $9.99/week, $12.99–$14.99/month or $99.99/year; 7-day free trial on its site |
| Google Translate | Star and save translated phrases yourself | Tap Listen to hear a translation (Google Help) | Translate with no internet after downloading a language | Free |
| Roam Offline (ours) | 17 hand-picked phrases in 4 groups: basics, eating, getting around, emergency | Written guide for every phrase; no audio | Fully on the phone, no download step | Free: Basics and Emergency in English and your destination's language. Pro ($2.99/month or $14.99/year) unlocks all 13 languages and groups |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
We didn't find Apple or Google saying whether audio playback itself works offline, so test it in airplane mode before you rely on it.
Which one to pick
- You want audio and free: Apple Translate (already installed) or Google Translate. Download both languages before you leave.
- You want a big ready-made list with voices and don't mind a subscription: iTranslate.
- You want to say a handful of phrases yourself, plus tipping, plugs and emergency numbers in the same app: Roam Offline. Its languages are Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Polish and Indonesian, plus English. If your language isn't on that list, use a translator instead.
For which phrases are worth learning in the first place, see the phrases that actually help abroad.
Sources
- Apple Support: Translate words and phrases on iPhone and Change your Translate settings, checked Nov 8, 2026
- iTranslate on the App Store (features, in-app prices) and iTranslate: Offline translation (41 offline languages, PRO vs free), checked Nov 8, 2026
- Google Translate on the App Store, Google Help: Download languages to use offline and Translate written words, checked Nov 8, 2026
- Roam Offline on the App Store and the app itself (version 1.0.7), checked Nov 8, 2026