How to use Google Translate offline, so you can get accurate translations no matter where you are

• To use Google Translate while offline, you’ll need to download the languages you want onto your phone.
• Google Translate offers dozens of languages for use offline, and you should check back often to find new languages and make sure your dictionary is up-to-date.
• Once you’ve downloaded a language from Google Translate, you can delete it at any time.
• Visit Business Insider’s Tech Reference library for more stories.

The Google Translate app makes it easy to get by in a country where you don’t speak the local language, even when you don’t have Wi-Fi.

With Google Translate’s offline feature, you can translate languages on your mobile phone or tablet from anywhere —as long as you’ve done a little set-up before going offline. 

Google Translate can even instantly translate signs through your phone’s camera, though that feature may not work properly (or at all) unless you download the language.

Here’s how to use the app to translate languages when you’re offline.

How to use Google Translate offline

You will need to download each language you want to use offline in the Google Translate app, and you need an internet connection when you make the download.

1. Open the Google Translate app on your tablet or mobile device.

2. Make sure the language you want to download is one of the two that appears at the top of your screen. If neither is the language you want to download, click on the "Translate to" or "Translate from" side of the screen and select the language you want.

3. Tap the language you want to use offline.

4. Tap the Download icon that appears next to the language. If the Download icon does not appear, then the language is not available for download.

5. In the pop-up, click "Download" and the language will begin to download. 

How to upgrade downloaded languages

Languages are fluid and evolving — and so is Google Translate. It's a good idea to periodically check your Offline translation languages to see if an update is available. 

1. Tap the Settings icon at the bottom of the home screen.

2. Choose "Offline translation." A list of the languages you have downloaded will appear.

3. Tap the "Upgrade" option for the language you want. You might need to clear space, if your phone storage is very full.

It only takes a few moments to download a language library or an upgrade, whether you're using Wi-Fi or cellular data.

How to limit Google Translate data usage on Android

The steps to download a language are the same for Android and iPhone or iPad, with one difference. On Android phones, you have the option to set parameters for data usage. This can help you avoid data charges when you download languages for use offline. Here's how.

1. Tap the Settings icon at the bottom of the home screen.

2. Choose "Data usage."

3. Choose "Download offline translation files."

4. You can select from two options. "Ask before downloading" will give you the opportunity to stop a download if you're not connected to Wi-Fi. The "Use Wi-Fi or mobile network" option will download via cellular data, if you're not connected to Wi-Fi.

Manage your language settings in Google Translate

If you need space on your phone, you can always delete a language download.

In Settings, under "Offline translation," simply tap the trash icon next to the language you want to eliminate. You can always download it again later.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• How to use Gboard's translate feature on an Android device to translate text as you type it
  

• How to use Gboard's translate feature on your iPhone to translate texts as you type them

• How to translate a page in Mozilla Firefox using a third-party extension

• How to translate a web page in Google Chrome on desktop or mobile

• How to translate any webpage on your iPhone with a free browser extension, so you can read foreign websites and articles