Google Translate is one of those apps you can’t live without when traveling abroad. Not only is it great for understanding posted signs or menus in a foreign language, but it can even translate conversations, making it much easier to communicate with people you otherwise couldn’t.
While the experience is already pretty good, it’s now getting even better thanks to some new updates from Google. The brand is making improvements to live translations, making conversations fluid and seamless, while also letting users learn a new language using new tools directly from the Translate app.
Things are getting interesting
Although welcome, these changes don’t come as a complete surprise, as we caught wind of these updates ahead of its official release. While the Translate app has had live translations in place for conversations, the feature is now getting a small boost thanks to AI, and is available now in more than 70 languages.
With the new update, the app will now feature a large button with a microphone icon that can be used to translate conversations on the fly. All you have to do is start speaking, and the app will capture what’s being said, translate it into text, and also read the translation aloud so that others nearby can hear it in the translated language.
What’s great is that you can just have a normal conversation between two people and the app will smoothly transition from one language to another without any issues. All of this is now powered by Google’s advanced voice and speech recognition models. It’s much improved from the older translation feature, with the ability to produce accurate translations even in the busiest locations.
If that wasn’t enough, Translate will now also have a powerful tool to help you learn a new language as well. Google’s new tool will help users to hear and speak a new language with custom learning sessions. You can start these learning sessions at any time in the app by hitting the Practice icon. As you learn, the lessons will evolve to help you progress at a better pace.
For the time being, this feature will be in beta, and will be limited to just a few languages. You can give the new Translate app a try just by updating your app in the Google Play Store. This app is also available for iOS as well.
