Before we arrive to a new country, off on a new adventure, there are probably many places we want to explore. If you want to avoid the hassle of guide books, maps and dictionary, mobile apps are the best way to explore a city.
Before we arrive to a new country, off on a new adventure, there are probably many places we want to explore. If you want to avoid the hassle of guide books, maps and dictionary, mobile apps are the best way to explore a city.
1. Pleco
Pleco is one of the best English-Chinese translator apps that can help you learn, improve your chinese or at least get by with your daily life in China. A great feature that Pleco has is that you can take pictures of Chinese characters and it will be able to indentify them and translate them for you in English in real-time.
2. WayGo
Waygo is an app that instantly translates Chinese menu and signs into English just by hovering a smartphone camera over it. Now the app doesn’t know every single dishes or characters but it does a good job translating most of the dishes you can find in the Chinese menu. And the best part, it works offline! It can really be a lifesaver when you yet again order fried pig intestines instead of the marinated tofu dish you wanted
3. Ctrip
Ctrip is the leading player in China’s online travel agency segment. Now they offer hotels, flights, and China train tickets purchasing, which could be very useful, especially for English speakers who prefer train rides.
4. Metro Man
This app could be very helpful for you to continue to gain a better understanding of the Chinese urban landscape. China’s major cities are full of subway lines that will be your key source of transportation. Metro Man provides you with detailed maps of many of these cities and a search function that helps you get to where you want to go. All you have to do is input the location of your nearest subway station and the subway station nearest to the location you want to go and it will provide you step-by-step directions on how to get there.
5. Pandabus
Without knowing any Chinese, buses in China can be near-impossible to take advantage of. Unlike subway systems, nothing is in English, and the names of stops aren’t indicated on an electronic display. This app for finding nearby public buses is invaluable, then. Pandabus, which comes in both English and Chinese, uses your phone’s GPS to locate and show all the buses in the area, where they are going, and how often they run.
