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Google brings speaking, listening Translate app to iPhone

post #1 of 33
2/8/11 at 1:36pm
Thread Starter 
Google has converted its web-based Google Translate into a native iOS app for iPhone, with voice input for 15 languages and support for speaking results in 23 languages.

In addition to voice input, the new app can translate written words and phrases in 57 languages, similar to the company's Translate web app.

But the new iOS app now allows users to tap a microphone button and begin speaking a phrase in one of 15 languages instead of typing it.

The translated results can be spoken aloud in 23, or displayed full screen to make it easy to show another person. Translated results in non-Latin scripts, such as Chinese or Japanese, can also be displayed phonetically in Pinyin or Romanji to make it easier for non-native speakers to read out loud.

The app lists a series of favorite translations for easy reference, which can be accessed even when the device has no Internet connection (live translation requires a WiFi or mobile signal to obtain results from Google via the cloud).

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post #2 of 33
2/8/11 at 1:43pm
Would be very useful if it it worked fully without having to use data roaming (when overseas for example).. Still looks good though.
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post #3 of 33
2/8/11 at 1:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

Google has converted its web-based Google Translate into a native iOS app for iPhone, with voice input for 15 languages and support for speaking results in 23 languages.

In addition to voice input, the new app can translate written words and phrases in 57 languages, similar to the company's Translate web app.

But the new iOS app now allows users to tap a microphone button and begin speaking a phrase in one of 15 languages instead of typing it.

The translated results can be spoken aloud in 23, or displayed full screen to make it easy to show another person. Translated results in non-Latin scripts, such as Chinese or Japanese, can also be displayed phonetically in Pinyin or Romanji to make it easier for non-native speakers to read out loud.

The app lists a series of favorite translations for easy reference, which can be accessed even when the device has no Internet connection (live translation requires a WiFi or mobile signal to obtain results from Google via the cloud).


Sounds nice, doesn't work.
'Hallo' == 'Venlo' ??? (from Dutch to English)
'hi' == 'hyves' ???

Wtf. useless.

J.
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post #4 of 33
2/8/11 at 2:05pm
I was searching on my iPhone in the Apps app and it didn't show up until I actually type in "google-translate" with the dash.

Looks like another beta with voice feature.

EN -> ES works ok.

ES -> EN, not so much.

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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post #5 of 33
2/8/11 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

Google has converted its web-based Google Translate into a native iOS app for iPhone, with voice input for 15 languages and support for speaking results in 23 languages.

Maybe this app should be called "How to Get Arrested Quickly in a Foreign Country"!
Journalism is publishing what someone doesn't want us to know; the rest is propaganda.
-Horacio Verbitsky (el perro), journalist (b. 1942)
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Journalism is publishing what someone doesn't want us to know; the rest is propaganda.
-Horacio Verbitsky (el perro), journalist (b. 1942)
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post #6 of 33
2/8/11 at 2:15pm
Can it translate Bronx to Mid West?
2011 13" 2.3 MBP, 2006 15" 2.16 MBP, iPhone 4, iPod Shuffle, AEBS, AppleTV2 with XBMC.
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2011 13" 2.3 MBP, 2006 15" 2.16 MBP, iPhone 4, iPod Shuffle, AEBS, AppleTV2 with XBMC.
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post #7 of 33
2/8/11 at 2:16pm
Let me know when it translates Klingon to Vulcan.
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post #8 of 33
2/8/11 at 2:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lafe View Post

Maybe this app should be called "How to Get Arrested Quickly in a Foreign Country"!


Good one. I can't stop laughing at the ridiculous translations it comes up with. This is really entertaining.

BTW the privacy policy states that if you use the voice recognition feature Google collects and stores the voice commands you make.

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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post #9 of 33
2/8/11 at 2:19pm
. . . if these Google apps for iOS aren't just another way for Google to hoover up more info about people. Does the app send a transcript back to the mother ship every time?
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post #10 of 33
2/8/11 at 2:21pm
It depends on how you pronounce the intended phrase as well. I mean if you're trying to translate your second language into third for example, results will vary.

The first time I use the app it immediately load up the translation (second) language. Creepy or what they know what language you've used recently on your iDevice??? <-- Use with caution. We are talking Google here :-)
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post #11 of 33
2/8/11 at 2:25pm
Worthless app! Meaningless results! Nothing intelligible! Five minutes to delete!
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post #12 of 33
2/8/11 at 2:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TedK View Post

. . . if these Google apps for iOS aren't just another way for Google to hoover up more info about people. Does the app send a transcript back to the mother ship every time?

Try speaking to the app (instead of typing i.e. using local dict etc.). It definitely send them back to their server (Airport mode=ON will disable the transmissions). I mean... if you are really pissed, just speak foul languages to them about Google or Android and see how the server response. Could be an instant denial, which just proof your initial concerns
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post #13 of 33
2/8/11 at 3:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiluelvimmews View Post

Hello everyone. I'm a[anunturi iasi] in accord ' member.[anunturi cluj napoca] Looking handle to erudition from this valuable resource. [anunturi constanta]
[anunturi bucuresti] Comprehend of be good ample do my tittle on donating and sharing from magnitude to time. [anunturi brasov]

Thanks.

Understood.

Proud AAPL stock owner.

 

GOA

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Proud AAPL stock owner.

 

GOA

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post #14 of 33
2/8/11 at 3:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomlawler View Post

Worthless app! Meaningless results! Nothing intelligible! Five minutes to delete!

Are you kidding? It works perfectly as long as you use simple sentences.

Proud AAPL stock owner.

 

GOA

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Proud AAPL stock owner.

 

GOA

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post #15 of 33
2/8/11 at 3:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiluelvimmews View Post

Hello everyone. I'm a[anunturi iasi] in accord ' member.[anunturi cluj napoca] Looking handle to erudition from this valuable resource. [anunturi constanta]
[anunturi bucuresti] Comprehend of be good ample do my tittle on donating and sharing from magnitude to time. [anunturi brasov]

Thanks.

- from my iPhone, using Google Translate
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post #16 of 33
2/8/11 at 3:18pm
Works well EN to Hebrew. Now add the voice from Hebrew to English please.
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post #17 of 33
2/8/11 at 3:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

Are you kidding? It works perfectly as long as you use simple sentences.

Spanish to English:
'¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?"
Hello How are you?

Becomes olya com in Esther !

¿Cómo te llamas?
What's your name?

Becomes com in tea young ones!

Disaster! Worthless! Deleted!
Worse than that: I'm sick of google sniffing in my underwear every time I turn around!
Enough!
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post #18 of 33
2/8/11 at 3:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomlawler View Post

Spanish to English:
'¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?"
Hello How are you?

Becomes olya com in Esther !

¿Cómo te llamas?
What's your name?

Becomes com in tea young ones!

Disaster! Worthless! Deleted!
Worse than that: I'm sick of google sniffing in my underwear every time I turn around!
Enough!

Those translations sound really dirty.
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post #19 of 33
2/8/11 at 5:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spam Sandwich View Post

Are you kidding? It works perfectly as long as you use simple sentences.

Right you are... it picked up and translated "a flock of birds" "lymph glands", "flatworms", "roundworms" and "lungs" to French easily enough, but got rather comical with longer phrases.

While simple conversational ones like "when will I see you again" work, it tries to be too literal or gets the context wrong with "I would like that very much" (je voudrais que beaucoup), though it gets a bit better with "I would like it very much" (je l'aime beaucoup - not quite correct).

Work In Progress, as is most Google fare (eternal beta).
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post #20 of 33
2/8/11 at 5:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jnjnjn View Post

Sounds nice, doesn't work.
'Hallo' == 'Venlo' ??? (from Dutch to English)
'hi' == 'hyves' ???

Wtf. useless.

J.

At least Google didn't withhold it from iOS.
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
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Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
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post #21 of 33
2/8/11 at 5:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by airmanchairman View Post

Right you are... it picked up and translated "a flock of birds" "lymph glands", "flatworms", "roundworms" and "lungs" to French easily enough, but got rather comical with longer phrases.

While simple conversational ones like "when will I see you again" work, it tries to be too literal or gets the context wrong with "I would like that very much" (je voudrais que beaucoup), though it gets a bit better with "I would like it very much" (je l'aime beaucoup - not quite correct).

Work In Progress, as is most Google fare (eternal beta).

I won't ask why you selected those words ..

BTW ... Your last sentence is soooo true isn't it? The word Google will eventually evolve to mean 'constantly being worked on so not necessarily working as intended or maybe depreciated on a whim'.
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
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Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
Reply
post #22 of 33
2/8/11 at 6:05pm
Hey, you can't beat free, so I'm completely happy with this.

Proud AAPL stock owner.

 

GOA

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Proud AAPL stock owner.

 

GOA

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post #23 of 33
2/8/11 at 9:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jnjnjn View Post

Sounds nice, doesn't work.
'Hallo' == 'Venlo' ??? (from Dutch to English)
'hi' == 'hyves' ???

Wtf. useless.

J.

man, stop bashing everything google!
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post #24 of 33
2/8/11 at 9:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by therealestmc View Post

man, stop bashing everything google!

How is it bashing if people are getting poor translations?
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post #25 of 33
2/8/11 at 9:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jnjnjn View Post

Sounds nice, doesn't work.
'Hallo' == 'Venlo' ??? (from Dutch to English)
'hi' == 'hyves' ???

Wtf. useless.

J.

hold on! is this a joke? why google keep putting stuff out that are not ready? thank you, google. you are the best.
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post #26 of 33
2/8/11 at 10:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomlawler View Post

Spanish to English:
'¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?"
Hello How are you?

Becomes olya com in Esther !

¿Cómo te llamas?
What's your name?

Becomes com in tea young ones!

Disaster! Worthless! Deleted!
Worse than that: I'm sick of google sniffing in my underwear every time I turn around!
Enough!

You're kidding, don't you?
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post #27 of 33
2/8/11 at 10:15pm
Google translate works well from English to any other language because google has the largest database of phonemes in English - remember, GOOG411 was essentially a multiyear project to collect a huge number of English phonemes from a variety of speakers for the express purpose of improving googles speech recognition algorithms...not because google had any interest in proving a free 411 service.

I am almost certain google does not have as extensive a phoneme database to use to enhance the speech recognition accuracy of its database with languages other than English, so the recognition won't be as accurate, and hence, the output will not be accurate.

Remember, garbage in...garbage out.

For myself (I am a native english speaker, and others have told me I have essentially no regional US accent), it works beautifully, and quickly enough that it could be used for a practical conversation. If the technology works this well now, five to ten years should bring essentially flawless translations...provided google can acquire the necessary voice samples in other languages to provide equivalent accuracy to English.
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post #28 of 33
2/8/11 at 10:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by parksgm View Post

Google translate works well from English to any other language because google has the largest database of phonemes in English - remember, GOOG411 was essentially a multiyear project to collect a huge number of English phonemes from a variety of speakers for the express purpose of improving googles speech recognition algorithms...not because google had any interest in proving a free 411 service.

I am almost certain google does not have as extensive a phoneme database to use to enhance the speech recognition accuracy of its database with languages other than English, so the recognition won't be as accurate, and hence, the output will not be accurate.

Remember, garbage in...garbage out.

For myself (I am a native english speaker, and others have told me I have essentially no regional US accent), it works beautifully, and quickly enough that it could be used for a practical conversation. If the technology works this well now, five to ten years should bring essentially flawless translations...provided google can acquire the necessary voice samples in other languages to provide equivalent accuracy to English.

If you speak Spain's Spanish it works pretty well, i don't kinow if you have some accent like Mexican
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post #29 of 33
2/8/11 at 10:48pm
Whoa, double post, never seen this before

So Sorry

Read On

...
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post #30 of 33
2/8/11 at 10:52pm
.

C'mons

All youse guys here rights funny anyways

R like dat goofy azz homey who live down da street

Nobooty can dig whar he comin' from

So ifs ya gits a app thingy goin' 4 DAT ?

DEN ya gots sumthin'

Gits my drifts ?



.
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post #31 of 33
2/8/11 at 10:56pm
I wouldn't use this App for any serious translating as its voice recognition is not perfect.
After tring it about twenty times Ii came to the above conclusion. Perhaps its my pronunciation.
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post #32 of 33
2/9/11 at 2:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by therealestmc View Post

man, stop bashing everything google!

Couldn't be positive about something worthless, could you?
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post #33 of 33
2/9/11 at 10:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jnjnjnjn View Post

Couldn't be positive about something worthless, could you?

If it's worthless, how can one be positive?
Even if you disagree, he is entitled to his opinion, isn't he? Just as you're entitled to your blinders? (Stelligent)
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Even if you disagree, he is entitled to his opinion, isn't he? Just as you're entitled to your blinders? (Stelligent)
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