Google Translate gets Sign and Real-Time Voice Translation - 1 Billion Translation Daily Through Translate's Word Lens

Google Translate just stepped up their game against Skype as it relates to Real-Time Voice and Sign Translation.

They recently updated their Google Translate App to do translation of signs written in other languages and also Real-Time Language Translation, eliminating that language barrier as reported in the article “Google Translate App Gets Smarter”, published JANUARY 14, 2015 10:00AM EST by ANGELA MOSCARITOLO, PCWorld.

So says their Official Press Release in their official Google blog post entitled “Hallo, hola, olá to the new, more powerful Google Translate app”, published Wednesday, January 14, 2015, Google Official Blog.

Google Translate Real-Time Voice and Sign Translation – Updates target a different market from Skype Translator

This latest major update to Google Translate is really just the integration of Word Lens, a company that Google had purchased back in May 2014 for an undisclosed sum as stated in the article “Google buys Word Lens, the app that translates languages with your phone's camera”, published May 16, 2014 02:50 pm By Chris Welch, the Verge.

The timing is very close to Microsoft announcement of Skype Translator in December 2014 being made available for download, albeit it mainly works for Spanish and English as noted in the article “Skype Real-Time Language Translator Goes Live”, published DECEMBER 15, 2014 12:08PM EST BY ANGELA MOSCARITOLO, PCWorld.

For those of my fans, you'd remember that Microsoft had unveiled their Skype Translator back in May 2014, indicating that they had this product in mind as per my blog article entitled “Microsoft Launches Skype Translator – Star Trek Universal Translator to foster Real-Time Global Village against WhatsApp”.

Good to note that these software target two distinctly different markets; Google Translate is for the Student or Traveller who just too lazy to learn a language to bridge the language barrier whereas Skype Translator is for Business Communications over Skype and is not free.

But this may change, especially as Google can license their Google Translate Platform to Call centers to enable real time translation of Voice and IM (Instant Messaging) as I’ve long argued in my blog article entitled “How to find work in Jamaica at Call Centers - Make US$ as a Freelance Online Translator in Spanish or French as Global Outsourcing CEO David Crump isn't telling the Truth”.

Google Translate Real-Time Voice and Sign Translation App - 500 million people Served Each Month

Google Translate seems eager not to be left behind

According to Google, their App, which available on both Apple iTunes Store and Google Play Store, is hugely popular as stated in the article “Google Translate Now Does Real-Time Voice And Sign Translations On Mobile”, published Jan 14, 2015 by Jon Russell, TechCrunch and it’s apparent they want to hold on their current audience:

1.      500 million people use the service each month

2.      1 billion translations made per day

Google has also improved the speed of Google Translate App overall while allowing the user to translate signs into their native language. The Voice Translator only needs you to select the two languages you wish to speak in.

After that it recognizes them and actively translates the conversation rapidly and quickly albeit Google needs to work on the quality of the translation as noted in the article “Hands-on: Google Translate Is Now a Way Better Travel Companion”, published Jan. 14, 2015 by Victor Luckerson, TIME.

Currently, those languages supported by Google Translate for both the Sign and Voice translation are as follows:

1.      French

2.      German

3.      Italian

4.      Portuguese

5.      Russian

6.      Spanish

Still, it's early days yet and more languages are yet to be added to the listing. Hopefully too, they'll improve the Translation quality and add a feature for translation of phone conversations.

Here’s the link:

Google Translate from the Apple iTunes Store

Google Translate from the Google Play Store