But while both can translate text, speech, and images, they still each have their own quirks.

So all aboard the showdown train!

Next stop: translation station.

There is alsoan APIdevelopers can use to build their own translation tools.

Now theyre both fairly comparable when it comes to functionality.

The more languages the better.

Google Translates103 languagestrumps Microsoft Translatorssupport for 54 languages.

Google Translate can handle 103 languages, butnot every language works with every feature.

Arabic works with everything but snap photos.

And theHausa language, which is mainly spoken in Nigeria, can only be translated via text.

When it comes to Microsoft Translators 54 languages,its a similar story but on a much smaller scale.

Write: You scribble a word or phrase on your touchscreen with your finger.

Talk: You talk into your phones microphone and it translates what you say in real-time.

Snap: You take a photo of text and it translates it.

See: You point your phones camera at some text and it translates it in real-time.

Offline: You are able to use the above features without an internet connection.

Google Translatesreal-time video translation featureis what makes it really stand out from Microsofts offering.

It can make reading signs and navigating an unfamiliar area quick and easy.

Speech: You talk into your phones microphone and it translates what you say in real-time.

Photo: You take a photo of text and it translates it.

Conversation Mode: You and another person speak into your phones microphone and it gets translated in real-time.

Translators real-time conversation mode is where it truly shines.

The screen splits into two halves, and you choose a language for each side.

Say, for example, I wanted to chat with a person who only spoke Spanish.

I would select English for my side of the screen, and Spanish for their side.

Its not available for every language, but its a nice touch when it is.

That said, I dont feel like Google Translates features make it stand above its competition anymore.

Talking is much faster either way, so it feels a bit unnecessary.

If you have a smartwatch, Microsoft Translator is the obvious choice.

You cant go wrong with either of these translation tools.

In fact, I went into this comparison expecting Google Translate to dominate, but Microsoft Translator impressed me.

So much so that I might actually use it instead of Google Translate on my upcoming trip to Japan.