Google has launched some new features for Google Translate, while altering the look of the service. In addition to redesigning the site, the new features are aimed at making it faster and easier to translate text between 2,550 language pairs. Google Translate works for 51 languages, representing 98% of Internet users, according to the company.
One new feature is the ability to translate instantly. There used to be a “translate” button, but now it just translates your text as you type it.
Another new feature is the ability to read and write any language. Basically, you can just enter a word that you can’t read, and click “show romanization” to read the text written phonetically in English. Currently, this feature works for all non-Roman languages except for Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian. I would assume that these will be available in time.
There is also a new input transliteration feature for Arabic, Persian, and Hindi. “If you want to translate from one of these languages, but can’t type the script on your keyboard, our input transliteration feature will allow you to type words as they sound and convert them to native script,” explains Google Translate product manager Awaneesh Verma.
Finally, the new Google Translate offers text-to-speech translation. When translating in English, you can hear translations in spoken form by clicking the speaker icon.
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