David Koo | (TNS) TravelPulse

Traveling to destinations where you don’t speak the local language can leave you lost in translation. Communicating in the local language helps advance cultural exchange and improves engagement with locals. Overcoming language barriers increases travelers’ ability to immerse themselves in the local culture.

Translation apps are not a replacement for organic fluency, but they can help cross important communication barriers regarding local navigation, reading menus, managing public transportation, shopping or getting help, even in emergencies.

Risks and dangers of using translation apps

There are downsides to translation app technology.

For example, if you’re an English-speaking lawyer on vacation in France and want to tell a local person what your profession is, you could ask Google Translate to provide the French version of “I am a lawyer.”

Google Translate will suggest you say, “Je suis un avocat.” Unfortunately, you just told your French friend that you are an avocado. In French, the word “avocat” means lawyer and avocado. The critical distinction is using the French word “un” before “avocat.” With the word “un” before “avocat,,” it means avocado; without it, the meaning is “lawyer.”

However, if you used Microsoft Translator, then it would recommend that you say, “Je suis avocat” – without the French word “un,” and that means you are, in fact, a lawyer.

The lesson here is that these tools, though often helpful, don’t always account for cultural nuances or context, and can stumble, sometimes disastrously, over colloquialisms, leading to bewildering misunderstandings and unintended comedy—or worse—when communicating with locals.

There are several other translation app risks, too, including:

Technical issues: Apps that rely on internet connectivity can be unreliable or costly.

Privacy concerns: Some translation apps require access to personal data, raising privacy issues.

Security risks: Using public Wi-Fi networks to access translation apps can expose sensitive information to potential hackers.

Dependency: Relying too heavily on translation apps may hinder language learning and cultural immersion.

Communication breakdown: In complex or nuanced conversations, translation apps may not be able to convey tone or context accurately, leading to misunderstandings.

What apps are available?

Several translation apps can assist with language translation, text recognition, voice translation and offline capabilities. The following are 10 of the best translation apps for tourists to consider using while traveling:

Waygo specializes in visual translation and is particularly useful for translating text into images and menus in Asian languages.

Papago is a popular translation app in Asia, offering text and voice translation in multiple languages, including Asian languages like Korean, Japanese and Chinese.

TripLingo is explicitly designed for travelers and has language guides, cultural information, and voice translations in multiple languages.

Google Translate is one of the most popular and widely used translation apps. It offers text, speech, and camera translation in many languages and offline capabilities for some features.

Microsoft Translator provides text and voice translation in multiple languages and the ability to translate conversations in real-time with several participants.

ITranslate offers text and voice translation, a dictionary, offline mode and the ability to save favorite translations for quick access.

SayHi provides voice translation in multiple languages, allowing users to have multilingual conversations with real-time translation.

Translate Now offers text and voice translation in numerous languages and the ability to save and organize translations for future reference.

Babylon Translator has text and voice translation in multiple languages and a dictionary and language learning tool.

Easy Language Translator provides text and voice translation in various languages with a simple and user-friendly interface.

Before traveling, it’s wise to download and familiarize yourself with one or more of these translation apps to help facilitate communication and enhance your travel experience. It’s also helpful to have a basic understanding of common phrases or greetings in the local language of the country you are visiting to show respect and courtesy to the locals. Finally, obtaining travel protection services that provide access to an in-person, live translation resource is essential for situations requiring more precision, like ensuring a prescription is filled correctly, sorting out a legal issue, or managing a medical or security emergency.

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©2024 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service

I had a light and refreshing salad bowl dinner at a friend’s home and decided to make one at home during these warm days. I used quinoa as the base for a vegetarian meal.

Quinoa is an ancient grain originating in the mountains of Bolivia, Chile and Peru. It’s also considered a complete protein, which means that it contains all nine of the essential amino acids. There are hundreds of different types of quinoas. The most common ones are white, red and black. I used a multi-color one for this dinner. Any type will work.

Quinoa needs to be cooked for about 15 minutes. Start it cooking first while you prepare the other ingredients.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Microwaveable brown rice can be used instead of quinoa. Use 3/4 cup cooked rice per person.

Any type of nuts can be used such as pecans or almonds.

Look for shredded carrots in the supermarket.

COUNTDOWN:

Start quinoa cooking.

Prepare the remaining ingredients and place them in two bowls.

SHOPPING LIST:

To buy: 1 package multi-color quinoa, 1 small bag broken walnuts, 1 container cherry tomatoes, 1 small avocado, 1 bag shredded carrots, 1 bag washed, ready-to-eat spinach, 1 container pitted black olives. 1 bottle reduced-fat salad dressing, 1 bunch parsley (optional garnish).

Quinoa Bowl

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1/2 cup multi-color quinoa

1 cup water

1/2 cup broken walnuts toasted

3 cups fresh ready-to-eat spinach

1 small avocado, seeded peeled and sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup shredded carrots

6 black olives

6 tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing

A few sprigs fresh parsley (optional garnish)

Add quinoa and water to a saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Lower heat to a simmer, stir and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes. The quinoa should be tender but chewy. Meanwhile prepare the remaining ingredients. Toast the walnuts in a toaster oven or under the broiler for about 1 minute. Watch to see that they don’t burn. Divide the spinach in half and place in two large dinner bowls. Cut the avocado in half. Remove the pit and skin. Cut the halves into slices. Divide in half and place on one side of the bowls. Add the walnuts next to the avocado and cherry tomatoes next to the walnuts. Add the carrots in the middle. Add half the olives to each bowl. When the quinoa is cooked, divide in half and place on the side of the bowl next to the tomatoes. Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients. Add a few parsley springs on the side as a garnish, if using.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 563 calories (58 percent from fat), 36.4 g fat (3.3 g saturated, 14.3 g monounsaturated), 3 mg cholesterol, 17.9 g protein, 49.7 g carbohydrates, 13.8 g fiber, 198 mg sodium.

(Linda Gassenheimer is the author of over 30 cookbooks, including her newest, “The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook.” Listen to Linda on www.WDNA.org and all major podcast sites. Email her at Linda@DinnerInMinutes.com.)

©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Karen Kaplan | Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES — Remember when Elmo went viral in January by asking folks on the Internet how they were doing and briefly became the unofficial therapist of X?

“The world is burning, Elmo,” an X user who goes by Not the Bee told the usually upbeat “Sesame Street” character. “No amount of tickles can fix this.”

“This world is full of pain, anger, violence, disease, power grabbing despots and poverty,” a user with the handle LiveLifeLikeSomeoneLeftTheGateOpen added in a long post. “The chasm is widening as HG Wells put it, between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots.’”

And those were just two of the 20,000-plus replies.

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Christina Vittas, Elmo’s social media manager, was bowled over by the unexpected outpouring and told The Times she was thankful that the Muppet’s simple question “opened up conversations about the serious mental health crisis in our country.”

Six months later, Elmo’s creators at Sesame Workshop have collaborated with the Harris Poll to conduct a more thorough check-in on the state of Americans’ mental health. They conducted 2,012 online interviews in May on an array of topics with a nationally representative sample of Americans ages 16 and up.

The resulting State of Well-Being Report was released this week. Among the findings:

• 27% of respondents said their mental or emotional health, or that of someone in their family, was negatively impacting their well-being. That was essentially tied with the 28% who were negatively impacted by a problem with physical health. The only issue taking a greater toll on survey participants was economic security and personal finances, a worry reported by 41%.

• Mental and emotional health were a particular burden on teens, with 54% of the 16- and 17-year-olds who took the survey saying the psychological issues had a negative impact on their overall well-being. So did 32% of parents and 41% of people who identified as LGBTQ+.

• When asked about their top concerns for their future well-being, 90% cited their and their family’s mental and emotional health as either somewhat or very important. For the sake of comparison, 89% said the same about physical health, economic security and personal finances, and having “a safe place to call home.”

• 77% of people told pollsters that to improve the well-being of future generations, the U.S. should prioritize investments in emotional and mental health. That was only slightly less than the 80% who called for more investments in economic security and slightly more than the 76% who said the country should prioritize high-quality education and learning opportunities.

• 44% of all respondents said their families were “still experiencing negative effects from the COVID19 pandemic.” That includes 57% of Black Americans and 56% of Latino Americans who took the survey. It also includes 63% of respondents who are members of Gen Z (between the ages of 18 and 27) and 57% of those who are millennials (between the ages of 28 and 43).

• When presented with a list of adjectives to describe the average American adult, only 37% selected “kind,” 35% selected “compassionate” and 33% selected “empathetic.” However, 56% said this hypothetical adult was “anxious” and 44% said they were “difficult.”

• The survey found overwhelming support for the notion that kindness is essential to the well-being of society. Fully 91% of people agreed that “kindness fosters stronger bonds between people,” making them more empathetic and supportive.

• 82% of respondents said their own mental well-being would improve if kindness were more common, and 89% said a kinder society would be better for children.

• 93% of those surveyed said they had committed at least one act of kindness in the past three months. More specifically, 57% said they had helped a friend or family member in need, 57% said they listened to someone else in a nonjudgmental way, 39% gave money to charity, 35% helped a stranger and 22% volunteered their time in support of a cause, among other activities.

• Despite this outpouring of kindness, most people said they didn’t see much of the same in others, with 55% of respondents agreeing that “being kind is not a priority to most people.” In addition, 64% agreed that “most people don’t go out of their way to help others.”

• 73% of Americans said they wished they had learned more about how to manage their emotions when they were children. So did 84% of those who are parents.

• 67% of Americans also wish their parents had been more transparent about their own struggles with mental health. That was particularly true for younger Americans, with 77% of teens, 77% of Gen Zers and 78% of millennials sharing that sentiment.

Sesame Workshop described the report as “a first-of-its-kind index” and said it will continue to check in with Americans “to keep a pulse on the well-being of Americans and their families.”

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.