How to download languages for offline translation before a trip
Both Google Translate and Apple's Translate app can work with no connection, but only for languages you have downloaded beforehand. Do it at home on Wi-Fi: in Google Translate, tap the language and then Download; on iPhone, go to Settings, Apps, Translate, Languages.
See the Europe eSIMWhy download if you will have data anyway
A data plan covers the street, not every place a traveller ends up: the underground platform, the basement restaurant, the mountain road between two villages, the plane on the way in. Those are exactly the moments when you need to read a menu, a ticket machine or a pharmacy label.
There is a second reason on Apple devices. Apple explains that with on-device translation your translations are processed on the iPhone rather than on Apple's servers, even without an internet connection. If you would rather your conversations did not leave the phone, downloaded languages are the way to do it.
Each language is a one-off download. Google describes the files as small, but still points you to Wi-Fi for them, so do it from home rather than in the arrivals hall.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
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How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Google Translate on Android
- Connect to Wi-Fi and open the Translate app.
- At the bottom, select the language you want.
- Tap Download next to it. If there is no Download option, that language cannot be used offline.
- If you are asked to download the language file, tap Download again.
Downloaded languages are marked as Downloaded. To allow downloads over mobile data, go to Menu, Settings, Data usage, Downloaded languages. To update, upgrade to a higher-quality pack or remove a language, open Menu, then Downloaded languages. Google adds that once a language is downloaded, you may be able to translate it through the camera.
Google Translate on iPhone
- Connect to Wi-Fi and open the Translate app.
- Tap the language at the top, on either side of the screen.
- Tap Download next to the language you need, and confirm if asked.
- Check that the language now shows as Downloaded.
To manage what is on the phone, tap Settings, then Offline translation. From there you can update a language, upgrade it to a larger, higher-quality pack, or remove it when you get home to free up space. Google recommends downloading only on Wi-Fi on iPhone, to avoid slow downloads or extra data charges.
Apple's Translate app
On iPhone, Apple's own Translate app manages downloads from the Settings app rather than inside Translate. Go to Settings, tap Apps, then Translate, then Languages, and tap the download button next to each language you want. Apple says those downloads serve on-device translation, Live Translation and offline use.
In the same Translate settings you choose when translation happens on the phone. Automatic processes translations on the device when the languages are downloaded and may use Apple's servers otherwise. Always keeps every translation on the device using your downloaded languages. If you choose Always, anything you have not downloaded will not translate, so check your list before you leave.
What to download for your trip
Download both sides of the conversation: your own language and the local one. For a trip to Tokyo that is Japanese and English or Spanish; for a week between Brussels and Bruges, French and Dutch, because Brussels uses both and Bruges is Dutch-speaking. In a country with several languages, download all the ones on your route instead of guessing.
Then test it. Put the phone in airplane mode, open the app and translate a sentence each way. If it still works, you are covered for the places your data will not reach. For everything else, a data eSIM keeps online translation, maps and messages going; our data guide explains how much a normal day takes.
Does Google Translate work without internet?
Yes, for languages you downloaded beforehand. Google says that after downloading you can translate them without an internet connection.
Where are offline languages in Apple's Translate app?
In the Settings app: Apps, then Translate, then Languages. Tap the download button next to each language.
Can I download languages with mobile data?
On Android, Google Translate lets you allow it under Settings, Data usage. Google recommends Wi-Fi to avoid slow downloads or extra charges.
Why can I not download a particular language?
Google says that if the Download option does not appear next to a language, that language cannot be downloaded.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See the Europe eSIM