Google translate app

Peregrine · 01-20-2016, 03:51 AM

This thing is so much fun to play around with!

Not only does it have the "magic seeming" on-screen translate, you can have it do voice translate. You set it to say, English to German and say something and then it speaks it back in German, then listens for a German reply which it will translate back to English - will be very handy on trips.

They did this video showing the on-screen translate.

CraigSca · 01-20-2016, 06:37 AM

When we were in China last year, we used it a lot. My daughter needed a spoon at breakfast, and after attempting charades for a while, I whipped out the phone, said "spoon" and then showed them the screen. It was awesome.

Fidatelo · 01-20-2016, 12:45 PM

Does it need an internet connection to work or is everything on your device?

Groundhog · 01-20-2016, 05:05 PM

This really came in handy for us last year too when we were travelling around South/Central America - especially on menus. It's a bit fiddly to find the right angle/distance from the page to get everything translated just right, but the snapshot function is great once you do.

I didn't have any data at the time - as long as you have the language pack you needed pre-downloaded, it will work fine.

Peregrine · 01-20-2016, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Does it need an internet connection to work or is everything on your device?

It does rely on the internet, sadly. At least for me it does - if I put my phone in airplane mode I am not able to use the voice or typed translation - keeps saying network error.

Groundhog · 01-20-2016, 07:25 PM

Hmm, maybe I did have a data plan while using it in Colombia, but I don't remember if so. Maybe it depends on the language pack?

Peregrine · 01-21-2016, 06:58 AM

Well there's three different kinds of translation in the app. It could be that the "point the phone at a foreign language and it translates it on your screen" part works, but the "say stuff and it says it in a foreign language" and "write stuff via typing or handwriting and it translates" don't - I didn't really try the first kind in my test.

Logan · 01-21-2016, 09:15 AM

Because I care about FOFC, I put my phone on airplane mode and just tried a simple on-screen translation: "Translation failed. Retry. No network. Get the offline language package to translate this without internet access" and a link to download.

01-20-2016, 06:37 AM	#2
CraigSca Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Not Delaware - hurray!	When we were in China last year, we used it a lot. My daughter needed a spoon at breakfast, and after attempting charades for a while, I whipped out the phone, said "spoon" and then showed them the screen. It was awesome. __________________ She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! She loves you, yeah! how do you know? how do you know?

01-20-2016, 12:45 PM	#3
Fidatelo Pro Starter Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Winnipeg, MB	Does it need an internet connection to work or is everything on your device? __________________ "Breakfast? Breakfast schmekfast, look at the score for God's sake. It's only the second period and I'm winning 12-2. Breakfasts come and go, Rene, but Hartford, the Whale, they only beat Vancouver maybe once or twice in a lifetime."

01-20-2016, 05:05 PM	#4
Groundhog Coordinator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia	This really came in handy for us last year too when we were travelling around South/Central America - especially on menus. It's a bit fiddly to find the right angle/distance from the page to get everything translated just right, but the snapshot function is great once you do. I didn't have any data at the time - as long as you have the language pack you needed pre-downloaded, it will work fine. __________________ Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. --Ambrose Bierce

01-20-2016, 07:25 PM	#6
Groundhog Coordinator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia	Hmm, maybe I did have a data plan while using it in Colombia, but I don't remember if so. Maybe it depends on the language pack? __________________ Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. --Ambrose Bierce

01-21-2016, 06:58 AM	#7
Peregrine Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Cary, NC	Well there's three different kinds of translation in the app. It could be that the "point the phone at a foreign language and it translates it on your screen" part works, but the "say stuff and it says it in a foreign language" and "write stuff via typing or handwriting and it translates" don't - I didn't really try the first kind in my test.

01-21-2016, 09:15 AM	#8
Logan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: NYC	Because I care about FOFC, I put my phone on airplane mode and just tried a simple on-screen translation: "Translation failed. Retry. No network. Get the offline language package to translate this without internet access" and a link to download.

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