Google Translate can now translate text in images through your phone's camera
Summary: Google's Android translation app can now recognise and translate text just by looking at it - a feature that has actually been around in the company's Goggles app for over two years
Google has pushed out a new version of its Translate app for Android, adding optical character recognition to the linguistic toolkit.
The feature means users can, for example, use their Android phone's camera to take a picture of a menu in a foreign language, then have the app translate the text into their own tongue.
The user just has to train the camera on the text, then brush the text they want translated with their finger. They also have to be using Android 2.3 or higher.
Although the feature is new to Google Translate — it was added on Thursday — it is now more than two years since Google added the same functionality to its Goggles app, which is entirely based around image recognition.
Within Translate, though, optical character recognition (OCR) fits in nicely as part of a more focused toolkit.
Still in alpha after 18 months, the most ambitious tool in that set is probably speech-to-speech translation, which theoretically allows two people to speak to each other in different languages with the app acting as a translator for both parties.
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Just to point out...
In addition, the Windows Phone translate app lets you download language modules for offline use, which is handy for avoiding data roaming charges when traveling. internationally
yes and two years in use at Google...
Not sure how much use the average person would get out of this. If you were just traveling or occasionally working abroad it would be good, full time outside of your native country, I think I would want to learn the language. Maybe a good use to when using temporary seasonal workers. However we have just seen what a dumb ass you can be with literal translation in the same language in different places.
Just to point out...
In addition, the Windows Phone translate app lets you download language modules for offline use, which is handy for avoiding data roaming charges when traveling. internationally
Spambots unite and rejoice!
The subject line in the email reads
I thought 'neat, now when I do a search for Boobs I'll get pictures of Boobs and not pictures of idiots' ....
But alas, it's a app for translating text in images.
I guess I'll just have to keep seeing pictures of idiots while looking at Boobs.
;)
Boobs vs Boobs
It's getting scary around here
I'm not picking on Google. Microsoft just built TV's "the machine" for New York City. And I'm sure IBM has one under construction somewhere. It's just that no matter where you go... there's a camera.
Google OCr