Skip to main content

Google to bring real-time translation to its Translate app

google translate get real time translation
While Google Translate may not be the kind of app you find yourself launching every day, the fact that it has 500 million monthly active users means plenty of people find it a useful tool for understanding other languages.

According to a New York Times report Sunday, the app, which has improved markedly in the last couple of years, is about to take a significant step forward with functionality that’ll allow it to convert speech to text instantly. The Times says the update will allow the software to “automatically recognize if someone is speaking a popular language and automatically turn it into written text.”

The Web giant’s app can currently handle voice-to-speech translations for a number of popular languages, though a delay in converting the words means that in a conversational context involving, say, a customer and a store assistant, the communication process is anything but natural.

The Times says the update will be coming “soon” to Google Translate, though fails to be more specific.

Skype Translator

The expected move by the Mountain View company comes a month after Microsoft launched a preview version of its Skype almost-instant translation tool.

Several thousand people are currently taking the new Skype feature for a spin, with some 40,000 others waiting to join the test program.

The tool lets two people who speak different languages engage in a real-time conversation, with the instantly translated words appearing as flowing text down the side of the screen.

The software relies on machine learning, so the more you use it, the cleverer it should become at understanding precisely what’s being spoken.

Skype’s translation tool currently only works between Spanish and English for the spoken word, however, the developers are working to introduce as many languages as possible over time.

While the new features from both Google and Microsoft sound promising, it’s still a huge challenge for tools like these to consistently and accurately recognize input speech, as well as to produce a reliable and meaningful translation, though for sure they’re edging in the right direction.

If you’re one of the few currently engaged in putting Skype Translator through its paces, let us know how you’ve been getting on in the comments below.

[Via NY Times]

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
What is Amazon Music: everything you need to know
Amazon Music

It's a jungle of music streaming platforms out there, so it stands to reason that Amazon would have one among its massive kingdom of services. And while Amazon Music might not be top of mind among the Spotifys and Apple Musics of the world, you might be surprised by its 100-million-song library, high-resolution and spatial audio offerings, podcast library, Alexa voice control, and a pretty amiable user interface that makes finding music pretty easy.

Amazon Music's subscriptions range from free to its premium Music Unlimited tier, which can be added for $9 per month on top of a subscription to Amazon Prime. But they all come with some quirks and features. We're going to break them all down for you to help you choose which, if any, Amazon Music plan is right for you.

Read more
What is Google Assistant? Here’s the guide you need to get started
Using Google Assistant on the Google Pixel Watch.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is huge news right now, thanks to chatbots like ChatGPT -- but did you know you can already access an AI on your Android phone? Google Assistant is Google's AI-powered voice assistant, and it's available on Android, iOS, and a large number of smart devices (like Google's Nest speakers). While not as capable as ChatGPT (yet), Google Assistant can handle an impressive number of tasks — including pausing and resuming songs and videos, making tasks and reminders, and in some cases, even taking and screening phone calls for you.

That may seem like a lot, but Google Assistant is relatively simple to use. If you've never used a voice assistant before, we've got this guide to help you get to grips with it and take your first steps.
What is Google Assistant?

Read more
Best Buy is having a huge sale on wireless headphones – Bose and more
A woman wearing the Bose QuietComfort 45 around her neck.

There's a huge sale on wireless headphones at Best Buy, so if you've been planning to buy a pair, don't miss this chance to enjoy a discount along the way. The headphone deals involve products from the most popular brands such as Sony, Beats, Bose, Sennheiser, and Apple, so there's surely something for everyone. We've gathered the top offers right here to help you quickly decide what to purchase, because we're not sure how long stocks will hold.
Sony WHRF400 -- $100, was $120

The Sony WHRF400 are relatively simple wireless headphones that showcase the top quality that shoppers can expect from one of the world's most popular brands in electronics. They can connect to your TV through a wireless transmitter with a range of up to 150 feet, and they can last up to 20 hours on a single charge. Once their battery is depleted, simply place them on the receiver to charge. When watching shows and movies with heavy dialogue, you can activate Voice Mode for better clarity, and all it takes is a touch of a button.

Read more