Internet has made the world smaller. In seconds we can visit virtually anything on the planet and, from the history of the Tower of Babel, there are different languages depending on the area we go to or visit virtually. What happens if we access a website in English from our iPhone? There are probably many words that we do not understand, but iOS has a function that will allow us translate and define words, all this without having to install any third-party application.
The function I am talking about, one that you probably already know many but surely many others will not know, is simply called Dictionary. This dictionary will allow us, once activated, to select words, consult their meaning and, if we have activated other languages, translate them. Sounds good, doesn't it? Below we will explain how to use this perfect function for those of us who read websites or documents in more languages than in our mother tongue.
Translate and define words on iOS is very simple
By default, and if I remember correctly, iOS has installed the language dictionary that we configure on our iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad so that we can define the words of our language without having to configure anything. In any case, as we are also interested in the translation of words, we will verify that this is so and we will add new languages to the dictionary following these steps:
- We open the iPhone Settings application.
- We play in General.
- We scroll down and play in Dictionary.
- Here we will see a list of available dictionaries. The choice is already to the taste of the consumer. As you can see in the capture, I have the Spanish, Spanish-English, American English dictionaries and the Apple dictionary. Logically, you can add as many as you want, but adding many can be confusing, especially when a word is the same in two different languages even having a different meaning. In any case, the results clearly explain which dictionary has been used for each definition or translation.
Keep in mind that among the available dictionaries there are normal ones, that is, they tell us what a word means, others bidirectional that serve to translate from and into a language and it is also said that you can translate and define expressions, something especially interesting to translate groups of two or more words in another language. The theory says that phrases can also be translated, but personally it is something that I have not been able to prove for myself because I never needed it.
How to translate or define words
Once activated, using this function is very simple. We will only have to do the following:
- We select the word or expression to be translated or defined. Logically, we can only do this if the text allows selection. This I comment because there are documents that do not allow us to select text, so we can not use this function from them. Yes we can select it in text editors and in many (not all) web pages. If what we want to consult does not allow selection, a solution is to write the word in the Notes application and make the next step from there.
- With the word selected, the options will appear. We have to select "Consult". Automatically appear the definitions and translations that will depend on the dictionaries that we have selected from the iPhone settings.
Define words with Siri
This function is very interesting and we can use it even on the Apple Watch. I would also like to use it to translate words, but this is not possible, at least at the time of writing this post. To define a word with Siri, we will only have to ask, for what is best and shortest is to say "Define" followed by the word to be defined. Siri can understand other requests, such as "What is the meaning of …" or "what does it mean …". Without a doubt, as when calculating, converting units and other similar queries, the best thing for those of us who have the Apple Watch is to ask the watch, which will prevent us from having to take the iPhone out of pocket. As a fact and although it does not have much to do with the iPhone, the Siri version of Apple TV does not include this possibility.
Do you already know how to translate and define words with your iPhone? And most importantly, without third-party applications?
The best accessories for your iPhone
Are you looking for a new case for your iPhone? An accessory for the Apple Watch? Maybe a Bluetooth speaker? Do not miss these offers on accessories and get the most out of Apple's mobile:
