Google adds helpful new features to Google Translate for iOS and Android
New AI-based features make the Google Translation app even more useful than it has been.
New features surface on Android and iOS versions of Google Translate. | Image by PhoneArena
As we've pointed out often, there are certain Google apps that get the VIP treatment in Mountain View. Apps like Google Maps, Chrome, and Google Messages constantly receive new features and updated user interfaces. Now, Google is bringing some changes to Google Translate. We wouldn't say that the latter app is Google's forgotten red-headed stepchild, but while the Maps app has two billion monthly active users placing it third after Search and YouTube, Google Translate has 500 million to 600 million monthly active users.
Google adds new AI features to the Translate app
Last week, Google added AI features to the Translate app that will deliver alternative ways to convey certain phrases in different languages. In a new blog post, Google uses as an example the saying, "It’s raining cats and dogs." You would type the phrase under the Enter text heading. In the example, Google is translating the phrase into Spanish and the app translates the phrase.
What is new is that underneath the translation, Google Translate will show a lozenge-shaped button that says "list alternatives." Tapping it will show options for "It’s raining cats and dogs" in Spanish and explain when you might use each one. In the example, there is a translation of "It's raining cats and dogs" that you would use when you want to emphasize intensity. Another example shows how the phrase would be written if you were being hyperbolic with the use of the phrase.
Google Translate will show alternate translations and the tone for each option. | Image by Google
How to install Google Translate on your Android or iOS device
You can also tap "Understand" at the top of the screen after seeing a translation. This will show you a helpful AI overview. Or, you can tap on the other option, "Ask" where you can follow up with a specific scenario. You might type, "what's the most common way to say 'it's raining cats and dogs' in Argentina?"
Google is pushing through this update to the iOS and Android versions of the Google Translate app in the U.S. and India. Eventually, these new features will be available for the desktop version of Translate. You can install the Android version from the Play Store by tapping on this link. If you want to use the Google Translate app on your iPhone, tap on this link to install the iOS variant of the app on your device.
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