Papago
Papago is an AI-powered translation app by Naver, specializing in Korean and Asian languages, offering text, voice, image, and handwriting translation for everyday and travel use.
Price: Free
Description
Papago, developed by Naver (a leading South Korean internet company), is a sophisticated translation tool particularly strong in translating between Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and other Asian languages, alongside major global languages. It provides diverse translation methods including text, voice, image (OCR), handwriting, and website translation. A key feature is its "Word Lens" for instant camera translation and a "Conversation" mode for real-time dialogue. Papago is primarily aimed at travelers, students, and business professionals dealing with Asian languages, where it often outperforms other generalist translators in accuracy and contextual understanding due to its specialized training data.
How to Use
1.Download and open the Papago app or visit the web interface.
2.Select the desired input type: "Text," "Voice," "Image," "Handwriting," or "Website."
3.Choose your source and target languages (e.g., Korean to English).
4.For text, type or paste your content into the input field.
5.For image translation, take a photo or select one from your gallery.
6.The translation will appear instantly, often with options to hear the pronunciation.
Use Cases
Travel to Korea, Japan, China, Southeast AsiaLearning Korean, Japanese, ChineseBusiness communication with Asian partnersTranslating text from images or handwritingReal-time voice conversation in Asian languages
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Superior accuracy for Korean, Japanese, and Chinese translations
- Offers diverse input methods: text, voice, image, handwriting, website
- Includes a dictionary, phrasebook, and real-time conversation mode
- Completely free for personal use
- User-friendly interface, especially on mobile
Cons
- Language support is more limited than global competitors like Google Translate
- Less robust for less common language pairs outside its core focus
- No explicit API for general public/developer use (though Naver Cloud Platform offers translation APIs)
Pricing
Papago (Consumer): Free for all users via web and mobile apps
Naver Cloud Platform (for developers): Offers separate Papago Translation API services with usage-based pricing, typically starting with a free tier and then charging per character/call. (This is distinct from the consumer product)
Free Trial: The consumer app is free to use without a trial period
Refund Policy: Not applicable for the free consumer product.
FAQs