– fun on your own but a disaster for business
Surely these days you can translate automatically through your PC/laptop or tablet/smartphone? Well, yes and no. You have to make a distinction between private use and business use. Google Translate (now available in 57 languages) on your iPhone or Android device is a great solution if you happen to be in a country where you don't speak the language. You can translate simple words and phrases on the fly, which will help you to communicate on the spot. It's also useful at home or at the office if you want to translate a web page or a news article, for example, to give yourself a general picture of what it's about. The downside of Google Translate, apart from its rough-and-ready and sometimes hilarious translation mistakes, is that the real nuances are never communicated clearly. And these are essential to the full meaning.
