
On Wendesday, Google took to its public blog to announce a major new update to its Google Translate application for mobile devices, including the iOS platform.
Later today, the update will be available. Among some of the more important features is the ability to use the new World Lensfeature, which can take advantage of the iOS device’s camera in order to take in information from a different language and then display it on the screen in English, as shown in the animated GIF image above.
For example, if you can only speak English, and you’re in Spain looking at a sign that you don’t understand, you can whip out your handy dandy Google Translate application, open the World Lens camera option, and instantly you’ll be looking at the sign from a Spaniard’s eyes – making you fully capable of understanding the sign.
Google notes that World Lens only works in the following languages currently (although support for more languages is coming soon):
- English
- French
- German
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
The update also makes it easier to translate text in real time while you’re in the middle of a conversation. The application offers the ability to tap on a microphone button while someone is talking, and the language of the person talking will automatically be detected and translated for you in real time:

For more information about the update, you can head over to Google’s blog at this link. The update will be rolling out over the next few days to all users for free for both iOS and Android users.
The Google Translate application for iOS can be downloaded for free from this App Store link.