I was really surprised to see no results for a search on electronic translators in this forum. Are they that bad? Anyone have an opinion on best one? I'm interested in Mandarin Chinese particularly. I'm assuming they only translate pre-entered phrases (in other words, you can't type in a question in English and have it translated to Mandarin)? And, is there an app for a smartphone? I'd just use a phrase book, but accent has always been my weak point in language, and I understand that it is crucial to have just the right tone in Mandarin. I'm getting a language program, but doubt 3 weeks will be enough to get past "please", "thank you", and "where's the bathroom".