Although Google is best known around the world as a leading search engine provider, in recent years it has been making inroads into other sectors, applying its online expertise to the development of software, hardware and various other technologies. Never one to rest on their laurels, rumour has it that Google is already planning a new piece of breakthrough tech for 2015. The new innovation is rumoured to be a major upgrade to Google’s Translate app: one that enables the software to translate spoken languages, as opposed to just text, in real-time.
Skype is making a splash with their version already
Less than a month ago, Skype lifted the curtain on its own translation software. The Microsoft subsidiary made quite a splash with the announcement, letting the world get its first look at technology that can translate spoken foreign languages in real-time. The intriguing potential of such a technology predictably set tongues wagging, and many industry insiders speculated that it wouldn’t be long before Microsoft’s rivals stepped up to the plate and unveiled their own translation tech.
Now, a Google insider is saying his company is getting ready to make that step, claiming they will soon announce their own voice translation platform. According to the leaker, Google is on the verge of releasing a mobile app that can recognise a diverse number of widely-spoken languages. The Android app then translates the audio information into text and displays it in the user’s native tongue. In other words, it will allow seamless communication between users conversing in different languages, offering them a commentary of exactly what’s being said on the screen of a phone, tablet, or computer, all in real-time.
Will Google’s App be Android Ready?
At the moment, it’s unknown when the app will hit the Android marketplace, nor do we know what kind of technology Google is using to power the translator. However, it’s safe to assume the tech will build on Google’s current Translate app, which has been installed over 100 million times on Android phones and tablets worldwide.
If that wasn’t exciting enough, Google is also readying a translation app that is able to decipher foreign text, translating it into a user’s native language via their smartphone camera. Users simply point their smartphone at the text they want translated, a restaurant menu for example, and the app does the rest, supplying a translation almost instantly.
