The most immediate advantage of an electronic language translator is its slimline shape, when compared to a normal dictionary or phrasebook. This advantage becomes even more apparent with the higher memory capacity of high-end electronic translators--the equivalent dictionary or phrasebook size would be difficult to even carry.
The capabilities of an electronic translator can provide more efficient methods of searching for a phrase. Instead of paging through a phrasebook you can input a search term, for example, and have an answer with relative ease. Another feature of an electronic translator includes speech capabilities, which are useful when learning the language at hand, and helpful when your own pronunciation lets you down.
The translator may only be limited to relatively simple or common phrases. This may not seem like a big problem when you are attempting to make small talk or order a drink at a bar, but when there is a crucial word that you need to understand in an important context, you may find that the limited vocabulary of your translator may let you down.
You translator may have support for a wide range of languages. This is handy if you travel to a lot of different places. The drawback may mean that each language you actually need is covered in a "lighter" version, meaning that the crucial phrase you search for may often be missing. Alternatively, you could opt for a translator with less, or a single language. In this case your choice of phrases will be more in-depth, but the translator will be rendered useless if it is needed for any language other than the limited version it offers.
