4.2 out of 5 stars (4.2 / 5) based on 16 votes (Greek users) on Google_Play on 1/1/2019

Helper is a Voice Image and Text Translator for Android.  It’s free with no disturbing ads.  It is intended for people who are:

  • learning a foreign language (pupils, students, etc.)
  • using a different language for work or entertainment
  • travelling a lot especially when visiting countries with different languages

Personally, I use it in any language when I want to see the spelling of a word. Simply, I can write a word and the device suggests me the word that I’m looking for.  Another function is when you want to speak with a deaf person, you can speak and the writes down what you’ve said, so that the deaf person can read.

Quick info

  • Installation: 2.000+
  • Current Version: 1.6
  • Requires Android: 4.0 and up
  • Updated: 15 January 2019
  • Size: 7.1M
  • Cost: Free with ads

I’ve made a new free Android app which translates from any language into 36 other languages called Helper Translator. There are three ways to do it.

  1. by typing a word or text and pressing the “Go” button
  2. by voice
  3. by extracting text from an image or photo (O.C.R.)

You can also hear the translation in 33 languages (including Greek) if you enable it, in the settings menu or by pressing the speaker button in main screen.  To run the application in some of its capabilities, you will need to be connected to the Internet.

In order VoiceToText to understand what you’re saying in the language that you say, you will need to correctly set the languages you speak in the Google account of your device. This is done from the settings of your device, Accounts, Google. As many languages you speak, so many languages you must have put in Google account.

At the bottom of the main screen there is a banner with ads that may appear annoying, but it is the only income for the work that I’ve done.

  • Voice Translator

Press the main icon on the top left of the screen (or shake phone), when the Google interface comes on, you can speak in any language.  When you stop talking, Google’s interface will go away and display to the upper text box what you’ve said and at the bottom text box the translation in the selected language.

For better understanding you have to set up your Google’s account (used languages) on mobile device and you would be in a quite environment.

  • Text Translator

Write anything on the upper text box, select your preferable language and press “Go” button.  At the bottom text box you can see the translation.

  • Image Translator

Long click the main icon on the top left of the screen, goes in another screen where you have to follow 4 steps.

1. Take a picture or select a photo or an image from your device.

1.1 To take a picture from your device’s camera, press the “Camera” button

1.2 To select an image or a photo from your device’s memory, press “Local Image” button

2. Choose the language the image is written

3. Press “Check OCR Server” button to be sure that the OCR Server is up & running

4. If everything is ok then an extra button “Try OCR” is displayed, press it and wait

When finished the app goes to main screen and at the top text box is displayed the text OCR understands.  Make some correction if needed and press “Go” button to translate in selected language.

Helper Voice Image Text Translator – Tips

Any text in top or bottom text boxes, with long click in them in order to select a word or the whole text, a menu is displayed to share it.

Helper Voice Image Text Translator – Other Functionalities

Another feature of the app is to execute commadns.  To execute a command you have to say (as first word) the name of the application. By default the name is “Nick”.  If you want to change it, you can from settings. Anything you say after that, the app will search to see if it’s a command.  And if it is it will be executed, otherwise will answer “Sorry”.

1. Temperature

Get current temperature. If your device has an enabled GPS, the app can find out where you are and display (or tell you) the current temperature. If it hasn’t (GPS) you just need to type (or say) the command e.g. “Nick temperature Bayswater”.  For more accurate results, add the country code at the end like “Nick temperature Georgia,US” or “Nick temperature Bayswater,JM”

2. Forecast

Get 5 days forecast for a city or area. When a city or area is selected from above (or automatically by device’s GPS), a button becomes visible with the current weather and by pressing it, you can see the forecast for 5 days every 3 hours.

3. Hotels

When a city is selected by the previous step, you can ask the app to find hotels at this city.  This is done by giving the command “Nick hotels” by typing or speech.  Then the app will open Booking.com at your default browser and the results will be displayed.

4. Jokes

Get a random Chuck Norris joke. By giving the command “Nick joke” (by text or speech), the app displays a random joke about Chuck Norris. The original joke comes in English language and it is suggested not to translate it because you may loose the point.

5. Search Internet

Speak (or type) “Nick search for”, then Google’s SpeechToText comes out for second time.  Now say what are you looking for e.g. “photos with cats”.  The app will open your default browser, with the search engine you already have typed in settings, with the results of “photos with cats”.  Exit the browser or press back to return to app.

Helper Voice Image Text Translator – Built in Functions

More functionalities are available, like:

  • time
  • calculate
  • other repositories of jokes such as “crackmeup, icanhazdadjoke”

If you want to spend some time to teach the app to answer what you want, you can go through the “Pre-Defined commands” button in settings menu.  Over there you can see some commands and you also can add yours.  Remember,

  • all these commands will be executed if you type (or say) as first word the name of the app (e.g. Nick).
  • every command must have only one comma (“,”) to separate the question of the answer.

Helper Voice Image Text Translator – Examples

Let’s assume that the app is called “Nick”.  At the Pre-Defined commands you got the following:

Hello,Hello you too

That means that when you type (or say) “Nick Hello”, the app will answer “Hello you too” in selected language.  If speaker button of the app is turned on, then you will hear it also in selected language.

More complicated example

The app currently knows some functions. These functions are distinguished by the simple answers because surrounded by square brackets. They are intended to respond to variable as in the question “what time is it”, the time is always different depending on when you’d ask.  Known functions currently are:

  • [time]
  • [temperature]
  • [calculate]
  • [ChuckNorris]
  • [yomomma]
  • [icanhazdadjoke]
  • [crackmeup]

Those functions can be used as:

temperature,[temperature]
calc,[calculate]
joke 1,[ChuckNorris]
joke 2,[yomomma]

That way you can have answers on the following questions:

  • Nick temperature
  • Nick calc 5+5
  • Nick joke 1
  • Nick joke 2

Helper Voice Image Text Translator – Download

You can download it from Play_Store or use the following QR Code:

Helper Translator QR Code to download from Google Play Store

In this page you may be redirected from within the application by clicking “Help” from the application settings.  If you are using Greek language then the Greek page will open.

Helper Voice Image Text Translator – Updates

2018-10-18 A new version is available to download with the following changes:

  • G.D.P.R. compliance. You can select (and change selection from settings) if you want personalized ads or not.
  • Many other small visual improvements for best experience.

2019-1-15

  • Fix bug when first time run, menu with settings wouldn’t appear
  • Help is now written in English and Greek language
  • Click sound when you press buttons
  • Small change in User Interface

* The temperature and forecast comes from openweatermap.org, the translations comes from Yandex Translate. The text to speech and speech to text comes from Google, the OCR function comes from OCR Space

Helper Voice Image Text Translator – To Do

I got plans to make a two person button where each person would select the preferable language, so they would communicate each other.

Helper Voice Image Text Translator – Epilogue

Currently there is a bug only when you install the app for first time.  For some reason (not known yet), the app doesn’t display the right menu at top right.  When you press back button to exit the app and open again for 3 times, then the menu is displayed correctly.  This happens only in new devices and I can’t regenerate that problem in order to fix it 🙁

You can also see other useful applications here.

Leave a Reply