Revealed midway through the company's Live from Paris event, Google Translate gets a very accurate update as it gets to what is arguably the most important translation metric: context.
Using the power of AI, Google Translate will start providing more "contextual translation options" with examples in the desired language. In the given example, the AI will be able to understand if you are talking about requesting a bass (the fish) for dinner or a bass (the instrument) for your band. So, the service will give sample sentences for each translation related to a particular meaning.
In addition to upholding accuracy, the announcement states (opens in a new tab) that Google Translate will begin to use "the proper turns of speech, local idioms, or appropriate words as intended." This way, the translated sentence will match the way a native speaker speaks.
The update will be incorporated into Google Translate on mobile and browser versions in the coming weeks. At launch, only certain languages will be supported: English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. Other reports (opens in a new tab) state that other languages will be available in months. We contacted Google to confirm this; however, a representative told us that the company has no new information to share at this time.
iOS app update
Also, the revamped Google Translate app that first appeared on Android is moving to iOS. iPhone owners will now experience a number of quality-of-life changes, such as a "larger box" for writing more accessible entry points. The user interface has also been simplified for easier translation.
You will also have a more active font that will automatically correct itself as you type. Next to the translations will appear "Alternative option translation and dictionary definitions". Users can also press and hold the language button to "quickly choose a recently used language." And swiping down on the text box brings up recent translations.
As the icing on the cake, Google Translate on iOS will support thirty-three auxiliary languages, including Hawaiian, Hmong, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish, to name a few. It is advised to download this package to your phone in case you do not have an internet connection and need to translate something on the go. You can find a set of instructions on how to download them on the Translation help page (opens in a new tab).
Hopefully, with these changes, Google Translate can shake its long-standing reputation (opens in a new tab) for being inaccurate. But if you still don't trust the service and want something better, be sure to ask TechRadar's recently updated list of the best translation software in XNUMX.