Microsoft has announced another round of updates for its Microsoft Translator app for Android. The app now enables users to easily translate signage, flyers, box instructions, menus and more by snapping a quick photo using their Android device. Users can also select an image from the device's local or cloud storage to translate texts within the photo.
The image translation feature has been available in Windows and Windows Phones' Translator apps since 2010 and was added to the Microsoft Translator app for iOS in February this year.
For Android devices, the new Image Translation feature converts from 21 languages including Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. There is also an automatic language detection available for users to facilitate quick translation.
In addition, the current update also has the new Inline Translation feature, which allows users to translate short phrases in more than 50 languages using their Android smartphone or smartwatch. Users simply need to highlight the foreign phrase that requires translation and launch the Translator feature under the "Other Options" menu.
For users who are not connected to the Internet, there's no need to fret as Microsoft did not forget about you. It has also added downloadable language packs that are available in more than 40 languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. The files can be accessed anytime even by offline users.
Also included in the update is the Hub Keyboard feature that allows users to simultaneously translate text as they type. The Hub Keyboard overrides the default keyboard of the Android phone, which allows users to translate text instantly while typing. By clicking into a text box and pressing the Translator icon, users can easily choose which language they opt to translate the text to, without having to copy and paste from one program to the next. This feature, however, is currently available in limited countries as of date. It has rolled out its English version in Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, the UK and the U.S.
The latest version of Microsoft Translator can be downloaded via Google Play.
