Free translation talk app: what is free and what is not
Looking for a free app to talk across languages? Here is what free translators do well, where live translation costs money, and how Hashti handles it.
If you want a free app to talk with someone in another language, here is the short version. Free translator apps are good enough for a message here and there. Free chat apps are good for finding people. What is hard to find for free is a chat where every message is translated live as the other person types. That is the part that usually costs money, and I will tell you why. I built Hashti, and its live translation is part of a paid plan, so I have a stake in this. I will try to be fair about it.
What "free" can honestly do
Most phones already have a free way to translate a sentence. You can paste text into a translator app, or point your camera at a menu. Some chat apps also have a "translate this message" button. For one-off needs, that is enough, and you should not pay for anything.
Where it falls apart is a real conversation. If you talk with someone for an hour and copy and paste every line, you stop talking and start doing chores. The other person waits. The jokes die. You forget what you were saying. So the question is not really "is there a free translator". It is "how much friction can I stand".
Three ways to talk across languages
Copy and paste. Free, always available, and slow. Good for short messages with someone you already know.
A chat app with a translate button. Usually free or close to it. You tap a message, you get a translation. It helps, but you still have to ask for each one, and voice is mostly left out.
Live translation inside the chat. Messages arrive in your language without you doing anything. This is the smoothest, and it costs the most to run, which is why it is rarely free.
I think most people should start with the first two and only pay for the third if they find themselves talking across languages every week.
Why live translation is not free
It is a fair question, so here is my honest answer. Every translated message uses computing power, and quality translation is not cheap at scale. Apps that give it away usually pay for it some other way, with ads, with data collection, or by limiting it to a few languages. I did not want ads in a chat app, so on Hashti live translation is part of Hashti Plus.
The price is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year. It covers 29 languages. Everything else in Hashti is free. I would rather charge for one clear thing than sell your attention.
You can see exactly what it does on the translation page.
What you should know about machine translation
No translation tool is perfect, mine included. A few things are worth knowing, whatever app you use.
- Slang, jokes and poetry often get flattened. If you use a lot of wordplay, say it plainly when it matters.
- Names, places and food words can be mangled. Check them if they are important.
- Formal and casual speech are not always handled the way a native speaker would. In Persian, for example, the difference between formal and friendly can change the whole feeling of a sentence.
- Short, clear sentences translate better than long, winding ones.
I speak Armenian and Persian at home, and I live in Los Angeles. I have watched machine translation help my relatives and also embarrass them. Use it as a bridge, not as a judge of what someone meant. If something sounds odd, ask.
What to look for in a free translation talk app
If you are comparing apps, here is the list I would use.
1. Which languages does it cover? A tool that does the big languages well but misses yours is useless to you. Check yours first. 2. Does it work for voice or only text? Many tools are text only. 3. Who can message you? A translation app that lets any stranger send you messages the moment you sign up will fill your inbox with junk. 4. What does it cost after the first week? Read the price before you get attached. 5. Does it say what it does with your messages? Look for a plain privacy page, not a wall of text.
Most of these questions have nothing to do with translation, and that is the point. A translation feature inside a bad chat app is still a bad chat app.
Where Hashti fits
Here are the true facts about Hashti, and I will keep to them.
Hashti is free to use, and it is for people 18 and older. It is out now on the App Store, and Android is in its closed test. There are public rooms with names and topics, plus private chats, calls and a walkie-talkie. You can look at how rooms and private chats work.
Identity is checked once against a government document. The photo is deleted afterward, and a fingerprint stays, so the same document cannot open a second account. Unverified accounts cannot host rooms, speak in voice rooms or message strangers. Twelve verified reports close an account permanently. The safety page goes through it.
So the honest picture is this. The chat, the rooms, the calls and the verification are free. Live translation is the one paid piece.
Where Hashti does not fit
I should be clear about the limits.
The interface of the app is in English today. A Farsi interface is being built, but it is not here yet. If you want the menus in another language, you will have to wait, or use another app. The translation covers what people write to each other, not the buttons.
The community is still small. If you want ten thousand people online at midnight, a bigger app will give you that sooner. If you want a quieter place where people have been checked, that is what I am aiming for.
And if you only ever need a translated line now and then, do not pay for Plus. Use a free translator. I mean that.
Who it is really for
I wrote this with a certain person in mind. Someone who has family in another country and a different first language from the people they work with. Someone who wants to practice Persian, Armenian, Spanish or Korean with a real person, and not just with an app that quizzes them. Someone who is tired of copying and pasting and wants the conversation to just flow.
For that person, live translation is not a luxury. It is the difference between talking and not talking. If that is you, Plus may be worth it. If it is not, the free tools are good, and you should use them.
How to try this without spending anything
Here is a simple plan.
1. Use a free translator for a week and notice how often you reach for it. 2. If it is a few times a week, you are fine. Stay free. 3. If you are doing it every day, try a chat with live translation and see how much time it saves you. 4. Whichever app you use, check who can message you and how they handle reports.
That plan costs nothing until step three, and by then you will know whether it is worth it.
The short answer
A free translation talk app exists in pieces. Free translators for single messages, free chat apps for finding people, and paid or limited tools for live translation. I think the best approach is to start free and pay only when the friction is real.
If you do want live translation in a chat where people are verified, Hashti is one place to try it. If it is not right for you, I would rather you find the right tool than stay with mine. That is how I would want someone to treat me.
Hashti is free, and it is 18+. Hashti Plus — live translation, writing help and catch-ups — is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, and nothing else costs anything. How rooms work is on the rooms page, and how reports and the ID check work is on the safety page.