by Nora Chan
Spring 2016 Intern
Traveling can be stressful, especially if you visit a place in which the native language does not match your own. But now you can use your phone to translate what you are saying or seeing in real time.
In January 2015, Google released a new feature of the Google Translate app, which allows users of iOS and Android devices to speak to the app, which will then generate a written translation of your speech on the screen. Some languages may also read the translation aloud. So instead of struggling to speak a different language, you may be able to communicate faster and more clearly. Although Google has long had the capability to translate into more than 90 languages in written form, this new speech feature of the app currently only works for 32 languages, including English to and from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. However, Google has promised users that more languages will be added in the future.
In addition to bettering communication, this app also makes traveling to another country easier by acting as a personal guide: It will translate directions as well as conversation. The Word Lens tool further eases traveling anxiety by using the phone’s camera and augmented reality technology to translate text on road signs, menus, newspapers, etc. so that you can see the translation on the camera view of your phone. By downloading offline language packs, users can also use the app without an internet connection. This feature currently only works offline for Android devices, but other companies produce translator apps for use without an internet connection across iOS devices as well.
Before Google, Microsoft’s Skype also released a preview program of a voice-translating feature on its software in December 2014. This software translates the voice input during a voice call from an English or Spanish speaker into text and also provides translated audio. The software is primarily being marketed as a tool for classrooms and has been tested in classrooms in the United States and Mexico. Originally only supporting English and Spanish, the feature now includes Arabic, French, German, Italian, Mandarin and Brazilian Portuguese. The Skype Translator does not work offline, but Microsoft also has a separate Translator app that recently was made available for iOS devices. Both iPhone and Android users can take advantage of the app by downloading the needed offline packs before internet connection is lost.
As a Chinese minor, I believe in the value of learning a new language and immersing yourself in that cultural perspective, but this app seems to be incredibly useful for quick translations of words or phrases.
Did You Know?
Sinologist Stephen Owen has recently published the first complete English translation of Chinese poet Du Fu’s work into a 3,000-page, six-volume book that weighs nine pounds. Du Fu is considered “the Shakespeare of China” and around 1,400 of his poems are included in the book.
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