Google Translate for Android adds OCR
The most recent update to Google Translate for Android gives it the power to translate text directly from photos.
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 watch the app immediately pull up translations.
From what I've seen so far, the feature works well. I was able to translate several lines of text, of various font styles and sizes. Unfortunately, the OCR feature only works for Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish text, but according to Google, more languages are on the way.
Stay tuned for a full review of the newest version of Google Translate for Android.