Assessing the Effectiveness of Mobile Translation Applications in Cross-Lingual Communication: A Content Analysis Study

Abstract

Drawing upon Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) and Media Richness Theory (MRT), this study examines how translation applications mediate cross-lingual communication in today’s globalized context. UGT provides a lens to understand how users actively select translation tools to fulfil specific communication needs such as accuracy, immediacy, or convenience while MRT emphasizes the capacity of different media to convey rich information effectively across diverse contexts. It is hypothesised that there is a significance difference between the translation mobile application in the domain translation application and Google Translations. Through a content analysis of 32 widely used translation applications including Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, DeepL, iTranslate, SayHi, Papago, Linguee, and MemoQ this research evaluates parameters such as supported languages, translation accuracy, offline functionality, voice and image translation, real-time conversational modes, and platform integration. 

Findings reveal that applications vary in media richness and user gratifications: Google Translate and DeepL achieve higher semantic accuracy through advanced AI models, while Microsoft Translator and iTranslate facilitate synchronous, multi-user interactions suited for real-time communication. Study demonstrated that there was no significant difference between the number of Languages Supported in terms of User Ratings (‘p’-value=.513). There was also no significant difference between the Offline functionality and the User Ratings as the ‘p’-value=.541. However, there is no user preference in mobile translation applications with more language translations facility and the type of OS used as the ‘p’-value was .000. The study concludes that user choice depends on aligning communicative goals with the technological affordances of each application, as no single platform satisfies all requirements. By situating translation tools within established communication theories, this research offers a theoretical and practical framework for selecting optimal translation technologies to enhance cross-cultural communication and overcome language barriers.