Google Debuts iOS Translation App, Brings Priority Inbox to Gmail Mobile Interface

The translation app is a good idea, but I'm sure it won't work without an internet connection, which makes it totally useless on an iPod Touch.

baryon said:

The translation app is a good idea, but I'm sure it won't work without an internet connection, which makes it totally useless on an iPod Touch.

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Not totally useless if you have a wifi connection obviously. I just downloaded it. I'm sure it'll come in handy.

MacRumors said:

This feature uses the same new speech synthesizer voices as the desktop version of Google Translate we introduced last month.

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Desktop version? Umm... where?

keruah said:

Desktop version? Umm... where?

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http://translate.google.com/

Next time, a little effort on your part may go a long way to helping you discover the world right under your nose...

Great app! Sure, Google Translate is not always grammaticly correct but it can come in handy. Especially for me as a Dutchman/European since we are obligated to learn at least four different languages in highschool.

I also go abroad a few times a year and than an app such as this one can sure come in handy.

It censors curse words. So much for some real fun.

OCR capability would be a lifesaver...

I have an app that OCRs Spanish and translates to English, but what I'd really like is the Google app with OCR, that would truly rock.

infowarfare said:

Next time, a little effort on your part may go a long way to helping you discover the world right under your nose...

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I thought it says "desktop version introduced last month" (unlike web version). And they have Google Desktop, actually. Oh, well.

This is really quite cool. I think it'd be perfect if the translation played back over the loudspeaker.

I'll try it, currently I just use their web app which seems to work fine.

I'm blown away!

I did the voice recognition and it got ausgezeichnet on the first try!

Very impressed!

I, for one, like the increased amount of Google services available for iPhone.

Even better, they're much more professional than paid apps - and they're free!

meh...

As a text translator it works well enough, but at least concerning French the 'speak to translate' option was very rough. I am fluent in French, and just got back from a year spent in Paris, so I'm quite sure that my pronunciation is spot on.. Yet even when I tried very simple sentences (like "I am American" or "You are from France") at different speeds, intonations, etc the number of correct word catches was maybe at 25%. And if I was in the real world needing this app, only getting 25% of my words translated would not be enough. Clearly.

As far as the text translation goes, this is already included in the bundle "google" app for iPhone, so there is really no reason to have the additional google translate app taking up space (unless it is better at voice recognition for other languages).

Im still very pro google though If only because I just discovered the sudoku solver app

It kills me that Google has come out with Google Translate, Google Books, Google Earth, Google Places, Google Latitude, and Google Voice, but they have not yet released a GMail or Google Talk app! GMail may not be allowed but it would be SO simple for them to release a Google Talk app.

Jason - Have you checked out the "google" app? It has all that. It basically links you to a site, but its all in-app so its fairly fluid.

What the ****???

Doctor Q said:

This app will be more convenient than the little phrase book I carried around in Japan. One time I was trying to send a package home and I couldn't make myself understood to the mailing clerk, probably due to my poor pronunciation skills. I ended up pointing at phrases in my phrase book.

If I'd been able to speak English into my phone and have it say the same thing in Japanese, I might have made myself clear more easily. And even if I didn't, it would be a much cooler way to fail!

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Stick with your phrase book. This POS translates LITERALLY (if it even understands you) which is completely wrong for translation.

I said "Let's go to Karaoke", which it translated to "Let's go to cut out dick", which translated into japanese "Please Cut Penis".

Talk about an unbelievable comedy slap in the face moment.

My friend asked in native Japanese "Where is the nearest train station?" "Myouri no eki ha doko desu ka?" which it heard as "Myouri noeki WORD ko deshita" which translates to "The closest station is a child word."

Needless to say, it's worthless, except maybe for parties and a good laugh.

Xenc said:

This is really quite cool. I think it'd be perfect if the translation played back over the loudspeaker.

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It does. Touch the little blue loudspeaker icon to the right of the translation.

Pigumon said:

Stick with your phrase book. This POS translates LITERALLY (if it even understands you) which is completely wrong for translation.

I said "Let's go to Karaoke", which it translated to "Let's go to cut out dick", which translated into japanese "Please Cut Penis".

Talk about an unbelievable comedy slap in the face moment.

My friend asked in native Japanese "Where is the nearest train station?" "Myouri no eki ha doko desu ka?" which it heard as "Myouri noeki WORD ko deshita" which translates to "The closest station is a child word."

Needless to say, it's worthless, except maybe for parties and a good laugh.

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I can't stand when someone says something is worthless... maybe to YOU it is, but it is obviously working for other people, therefore, not worthless.

As for me, I am a native English speaker, a bad Italian and German speaker and an even worse Japanese speaker and so far it has translated everything I've said 100% accurately (which I was actually surprised with.)

So maybe you and your friend have speech impediments or were drunk or ?

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infowarfare said:

As for me, I am a native English speaker, a bad Italian and German speaker and an even worse Japanese speaker and so far it has translated everything I've said 100% accurately

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No offense, but if you speak Japanese poorly, you wouldn't know if it translated it right or not. I'm a professional Japanese translator, and Google Translate's rendition of Japanese, whether by text OR voice input, is very inaccurate.