translate

Google has added a small but important upgrade to its Google Translate service that's meant to help you understand foreign tongues better.

The tech giant's upgrade to the feature comes in three parts. According to the Google Translate blog, "Reverse translations" can be used to distinguish different variations of an offered translation to make sure you get the correct meaning. For example, you can view and pick out the subtle difference between 'dialect' and 'lingo' in a dozen languages.

Another new feature is called "Frequencies." Google says that because it "prefers to deliver … Read more

Universal Translator is an app for the Mac that offers word and sentence translation into more than 50 languages. The Universal Translator installs in a second or two, and the interface is a model of simplicity with two panes, one for typing a word, sentence or phrase and the other for the translation. Two selectors at the top control which languages are used. Icons allow the phrases to be spoken. The software supports non-Roman alphabets and where necessary there's both the textual translation and a phonetic translation as well. There's a long list of supported languages, although not … Read more

YouTube is looking to help video makers grow their global audience. Google's video hosting platform announced today that videos can now be translated into more than 300 different languages -- from Turkish to Tagalog to Tswana.

"Growing a global audience on YouTube means having your videos reach many people, speaking many languages," YouTube product managers Jeff Chin and Brad Ellis wrote in a blog post today.

YouTube has two types of translating services. One is the automatic caption translation service that uses Google Translate and has more than 60 languages. The other service translates more uncommon languages … Read more

If you can't travel with a multi-lingual friend, you can add iTranslator 2 to your iPhone and iPod touch to help you navigate foreign lands or any place you don't speak the language. This feature-rich and easy-to-use iOS app helps you communicate in 50+ languages. It also translates text from images using the app's OCR feature, although you might have to deal with a couple of hiccups.

The app comes with an easy-to-understand user interface that aims to help the user translate any sentence or phrase into the user-selected language. The screen is divided into two parts, … Read more

SayHi Translate is a universal iOS app that can recognize 23 languages or dialects, plus another 9 languages for which the app can recognize text and then translate and speak. SayHi Translate is currently on sale for 99 cents, down from its regular $2.99 price.

Take a look at the video below to see SayHi Translate in action. In my admittedly short time with the app, I found its speech recognition was reasonably accurate as long as I spoke slowly and clearly. It's helpful that you can also type out lines and edit previously spoken lines that the … Read more

If you frequently access Web content in a language other than your mother tongue, you know how important it is to have a good translator handy. Firefox users should try ImTranslator for Firefox, a browser extension that makes it easy to access translations between numerous different languages. With a comprehensive set of translation tools, ImTranslator for Firefox is a great choice for both new-language learns and experienced polyglots who need a hand now and then.

Like most Firefox extensions, ImTranslator required a browser restart to complete installation. Once the extension was installed, we were able to access it both from … Read more

Thursday's tech headlines know how to speak your language:

Imaginations are running wild about an Apple TV cable box. The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is talking to cable providers, but no deals have been made. Earlier this week Apple was granted a patent for its design of a cable box. But Apple is not alone in its hunt for cable deals. Microsoft's Xbox 360 has slowly been adding video from cable providers in its quest to be the one box to rule all home entertainment.

The Sony Reader is back with a new model, selling for $… Read more

The newest update to Google Translate for Android adds Google Goggles' optical character recognition (OCR) technology, so you can translate text using only your device's camera lens. Whereas previously you had to type, hand-write (onscreen), or say your text aloud in order to use the app, this new feature requires none of the above.

To use the new OCR feature, just push the camera button at the bottom of the main translate screen. This activates your camera and opens a viewfinder just below the translation field. After you take your picture, brush the text you want to translate, and … Read more

Google Translate for Android is a simple, versatile tool that supports more than 60 languages, offers an SMS translator, and even speaks some of your translations aloud.

The best thing about Google Translate is its simplicity. The app is decked out with a sleek, ICS-flavored Holo theme, complete with Android 4.0's signature action bar and drop-down menu. Altogether, the new skin is a marked improvement over the slightly clunkier interface developed for Android Gingerbread.

To use Google Translate, just select your input and output languages, then type in your text. For even faster results, you can set the … Read more