Photo text translator: Google Translate with Word Lens

Not all of us have the ability or talent to learn several foreign languages, but when visiting new countries, making acquaintances or getting a job, these skills are indispensable. To make life easier for its users, Google has released a photo translator - an add-on to Google Translate - Word Lens. This mobile app translates text from a photo, from a picture or other images with text. Google Photo Translator captures a photo and translates it into one of the 38 most common languages in the world.

How do I use Google Translate to translate text from photos?

First of all - install the application Google Translate with Word Lens, you do not need to download Word Lens separately, it is already built into the application Google Translator.

Download Google Translate (Google Translator) for free for iPhone и for Android, then you can translate the text from the photo.

To use the Google Translate app as a photo translator, you need to launch the app, enable access to the camera on your cell phone, point your smartphone camera at a picture with, for example, English or German language. That's it. The app will translate the text in the picture online and display it to you. In the beginning, when the app was first released, only a few languages were available (Russian, English, French, Spanish, German and Italian), but now the list has been expanded to 38 languages, including such translations:

• from Portuguese to Russian;
• from Japanese to Russian;
• from Chinese to Russian,
• from Arabic to Russian;
• even from Ukrainian to Russian;
• from Croatian to Russian;
• from Danish to Russian;
• from Mongolian to Russian;
• from French to Russian;
• etc.

But the developers of the text translator from photos do not intend to stop here. It is worth noting that the moment of release of simultaneous translation was awaited by all users. Translation from pictures in real time, they promise to improve further, so it did not take more than a couple of seconds. Highlighted and other features of the program:

• users can hear what the text sounds like from the translated language;
• Synchronization with other applications and social networks;
• work in offline mode, but only for iOS. To do this, you need to download the dictionary to your phone beforehand;
• transfer to simplified Chinese.

What Google Translate photo text translation looks like in action

The only disadvantage, is that the translation of text from the photo, where the handwritten test, is difficult because the application is difficult to recognize it. Now you can only work in pairs with English, but later you can choose language sets on your own. In Google Translate you have to enter and translate text one at a time to communicate, but this is promised to change, and then the languages will be detected automatically, which will be applied to Word Lens as well.

In the video you can see the principle of the mobile application - a translator with a photo:

Recall that previously you had to buy languages to translate text from photos for money, but after purchasing Quest Visual, any linguistic set is free, albeit not for long. That's why you should rather download Google Translate with Word Lens to your phone if you're going on a trip and you're not good with English, Spanish or French.

From personal experience using an online photo interpreter

I recently went on a trip to Hungary. Hungarian itself is very difficult, and Hungarians are in no hurry to learn English. That is why the app was very often helpful, especially in the store, when choosing goods and souvenirs. A little tip-tip - I recommend downloading a dictionary into the app beforehand, so that you can translate text from a photo without the Internet (offline).

It occurred to me how much the world is improving. Of course, knowledge of languages is useful and necessary, but thanks to new technology, this knowledge is not something unique. And if we look 10-20 years into the future, I see a picture where not only texts from photos and images are translated online, but voice as well. When the profession of translator will be handed over to robots or applications like this one on the first text in the picture, and they will have to find a new application. Alas.

Online voice or sound translation

Among other things, the Google Translate app supports voice translation. So, when you travel, you can speak into the application in your language, and it will translate into the desired language and vice versa. The world is changing.

Help in learning a foreign language

I thought that the article would not be complete if I did not recommend an app that would help you not to use all kinds of online translators with photos or images, you will just understand the words immediately. The app is as simple as possible. You only learn 10 words a day.

Easy Ten - 10 words a day is 70 new words a week, 300 new words a month, 3,650 new words a year. At the same time, a native speaker uses an average of 3,000 words in everyday life.

Download Easy Ten and start finally learning 10 words a day. That's 5 minutes a day!

That's it for sure now 🙂

If after learning English or much more difficult Chinese language you want to take a break, but I recommend you to play mobile games. First of all, it will clear your head a little bit from learning the language, and secondly, if you choose the right game, it can be a continuation of language learning. I recommend to pay attention to

• mobile games offlineThat is, those that you can play without the Internet,
• at homescapes, a game for girls that is constantly evolving and delighting, is the basic principle of three-in-a-row,
• I would advise the guys brawl stars - is a 3 on 3 three game, constant PVP and a lot of interesting modes.

Oleg Tsegelnik

Hello! I am the founder of Apps4Life. It started as a hobby, but turned into a great and useful project that helps people get acquainted with the digital world of mobile games, add-ons, webservices and crypto-industry.