Google has officially released the latest major update for Google Translate. The bumped up version of Google's popular translation app now allows users to translate text in third-party apps without having to open the Google Translate app itself.
For now, the update is available only for devices that are currently running Android Marshmallow, which began rolling out in waves starting Oct. 5. Users who already have the newest operating system can already download the updated Google Translate app from the Play Store, allowing them to translate text found in apps such as WhatsApp, LinkedIn and TripAdvisor.
The new feature was first spotted by Android Police in September, but Google's Barak Turovsky, product lead of Google Translate, has officially announced the feature in a blog post. Turovsky says the updated app will now let users make translations in 90 languages right inside non-Google apps using Marshmallow's contextual text selection feature.
The process is quick and easy enough. Users simply have to select the text they want to translate. This will show an options box where they can choose to Copy, Share or Translate the text. Tapping the Translate option will create a pop-up that shows the translation in the user's preferred language.
Previously, the process for translating in-app texts was tedious because it required users to copy text in one app and paste it in Google Translate. The updated app gets rid of the cumbersome transitions and provides more seamless translations in a single screen.
"We face communication barriers every day," says Turovsky. "Switching back and forth between apps and screens to translate shouldn't be another one."
The new feature will undoubtedly be helpful for users who regularly use Google Translate to communicate with other people from all around the world. Travelers, for instance, can now expand their use of TripAdvisor to look up reviews of local places written in foreign languages by simply selecting and translating straight from the TripAdvisor app itself.
Of course, the solution is not 100 percent perfect. For now, the updated Google Translate is now available only for devices running on Android Marshmallow, and considering the slow adoption rate for new Android operating systems, it remains to be seen just how long people will have to wait to access Google Translate's newest feature.
