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[Home](https://theweek.com/) 2. [Tech](https://theweek.com/tech) [in depth](https://theweek.com/tag/in-depth) # Google Translate review: how well does the new app work? Updated Google app interprets quickly across many languages – but some things are still lost in translation By [The Week Staff](https://theweek.com/author/the-week-staff) published January 16, 2015  (Image credit: Google) Share - Copy link - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fgoogle%2F62130%2Fgoogle-translate-review-how-well-does-the-new-app-work) - [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Google+Translate+review%3A+how+well+does+the+new+app+work%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fgoogle%2F62130%2Fgoogle-translate-review-how-well-does-the-new-app-work) - [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fgoogle%2F62130%2Fgoogle-translate-review-how-well-does-the-new-app-work&title=Google+Translate+review%3A+how+well+does+the+new+app+work%3F&source=theweek.com) - [Whatsapp](whatsapp://send?text=Google+Translate+review%3A+how+well+does+the+new+app+work%3F+https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fgoogle%2F62130%2Fgoogle-translate-review-how-well-does-the-new-app-work?fwa) - [Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fgoogle%2F62130%2Fgoogle-translate-review-how-well-does-the-new-app-work&media=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2F6yAsfasxn5GAC9NwcrsoAJ.jpg) Share this article Join the conversation [Follow us](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=theweek.com) Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com *** By signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/) and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful *** An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Google has updated its flagship translation app with new tools that promise to help even the most monolingual of travellers successfully negotiate their way around foreign parts. The app has a range of new functions including a conversation mode, where two people can speak to one another in their own tongue with Google translating live, and a scanning mode, which translates text instantly on screen. So how well does it work? **Conversation mode** ## The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. [SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https://subscribe.theweek.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article)  ## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. [Sign up](https://theweek.com/newsletters) Latest Videos From The Week The old version of the Google Translate app allowed two people to speak to one another across languages by just touching a button to change the language detection mode. The update goes one step further and can now listen for two languages simultaneously, meaning two people can speak into a device and have their words translated into the other person's language. In a video review of the updated app, [Mashable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhh_10YGxuE) found that conversation mode can be a bit hit and miss, occasionally getting things very wrong indeed. Conversation mode also edits out expletives in a rather humorous way: "Holy s – asterisk, asterisk, asterisk". **More languages** Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com By signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/) and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. The app's conversation mode used to only handle English to Spanish translation, but it can now manage French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. Google says that more languages will be added in future as well. [Gizmodo](http://gizmodo.com/google-translate-is-getting-upgraded-to-take-on-skype-1678853763) says that Google's latest updates are an attempt to take on Skype, which recently released its own translation service. Adding as many languages as possible may be a part of that strategy, the site suggests. **Word Lens** Prior to the current release, users could take a photo of text in another language and have it translated into their language of choice. With Word Lens, the app goes a step further and will attempt to translate text live on screen as you aim your camera at a sign, menu or a page of text. The system is impressive, but is hampered by its limited font recognition – it struggles with some serif fonts for example – and the inevitable wobble that occurs when you try to hold a camera steady in front of something makes it hard for the app to focus the camera's lens. **Handwriting** Google Translate now allows you to enter text by drawing it on the screen with your finger. It recognises printing and cursive, and is very powerful – accurately identifying even the most semi-legible scrawl. **Conclusions** Overall, the new features make Google Translate "a great companion for a trip abroad", says [Time](http://time.com/3668192/google-translate-hands-on) magazine. [The Verge](http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/15/7551061/google-translate-app-ios-android-hands-on)'s Amar Toor agrees, saying that most of the new features work well. "The app's speech recognition is fast and mostly accurate, and the (language) it spits back is understandable, for the most part." Ariane Bogain, a senior lecturer in modern foreign languages at the University of Northumbria told the [BBC](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30812277) that the app will help people with simple interactions, but nothing more complicated than that. "For basic things, it might be very useful. My mother, for example, does not speak any other languages, but loves travelling, so she could find her way around a town. But it is never going to pick up the nuances, the cultural references or the humour," Bogain says. According to Google, more than 500 million people use Google Translate every month, making at least one billion translations each day. The new app is available for free on iOS and Android now. [The Week Staff](https://theweek.com/author/the-week-staff) Social Links Navigation Latest in Tech [ Tech Apple at 50: where does it go from here?](https://theweek.com/tech/apple-at-50-tim-cook-ai-innovation "Apple at 50: where does it go from here?") 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Google has updated its flagship translation app with new tools that promise to help even the most monolingual of travellers successfully negotiate their way around foreign parts. The app has a range of new functions including a conversation mode, where two people can speak to one another in their own tongue with Google translating live, and a scanning mode, which translates text instantly on screen. So how well does it work? ## The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. [SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https://subscribe.theweek.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article) ## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Latest Videos From The Week The old version of the Google Translate app allowed two people to speak to one another across languages by just touching a button to change the language detection mode. The update goes one step further and can now listen for two languages simultaneously, meaning two people can speak into a device and have their words translated into the other person's language. In a video review of the updated app, [Mashable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhh_10YGxuE) found that conversation mode can be a bit hit and miss, occasionally getting things very wrong indeed. Conversation mode also edits out expletives in a rather humorous way: "Holy s – asterisk, asterisk, asterisk". **More languages** A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com The app's conversation mode used to only handle English to Spanish translation, but it can now manage French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. Google says that more languages will be added in future as well. [Gizmodo](http://gizmodo.com/google-translate-is-getting-upgraded-to-take-on-skype-1678853763) says that Google's latest updates are an attempt to take on Skype, which recently released its own translation service. Adding as many languages as possible may be a part of that strategy, the site suggests. **Word Lens** Prior to the current release, users could take a photo of text in another language and have it translated into their language of choice. With Word Lens, the app goes a step further and will attempt to translate text live on screen as you aim your camera at a sign, menu or a page of text. The system is impressive, but is hampered by its limited font recognition – it struggles with some serif fonts for example – and the inevitable wobble that occurs when you try to hold a camera steady in front of something makes it hard for the app to focus the camera's lens. **Handwriting** Google Translate now allows you to enter text by drawing it on the screen with your finger. It recognises printing and cursive, and is very powerful – accurately identifying even the most semi-legible scrawl. **Conclusions** Overall, the new features make Google Translate "a great companion for a trip abroad", says [Time](http://time.com/3668192/google-translate-hands-on) magazine. [The Verge](http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/15/7551061/google-translate-app-ios-android-hands-on)'s Amar Toor agrees, saying that most of the new features work well. "The app's speech recognition is fast and mostly accurate, and the (language) it spits back is understandable, for the most part." Ariane Bogain, a senior lecturer in modern foreign languages at the University of Northumbria told the [BBC](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30812277) that the app will help people with simple interactions, but nothing more complicated than that. "For basic things, it might be very useful. My mother, for example, does not speak any other languages, but loves travelling, so she could find her way around a town. But it is never going to pick up the nuances, the cultural references or the humour," Bogain says. According to Google, more than 500 million people use Google Translate every month, making at least one billion translations each day. The new app is available for free on iOS and Android now.