Google updates Translate app for Android with near realtime voice translation
It looks like Google has updated its Google Translate application for Android phones with something akin to real-time translation – called Conversation Mode. Other changes were also made to the user interface, with usability enhancements.
[RELATED_ARTICLE]The Conversation Mode for Google Translate attempts to work as you’d expect an interpreter to, by translating what has been spoken in near real-time. While for now the only languages supported are English and Spanish, you can expect to Google to offer wider support soon. It is only available for devices with Android 2.1 or above, and is found free in the Android Market.
The Conversation Mode allows two users to speak directly into the phone, one at a time, and have their conversations translated both in text and spoken form. So far, the consensus is that the service certainly has scope for improvement, but, that it is a great step forward in the right direction. Usability features such as Bluetooth support (for both output and input) etc., would also be great additions, as well as of course, more languages.