Google Translate now lets you transcribe conversations in real time

Google on Tuesday said it's launching a feature that lets users transcribe conversations in other languages in real time using its Translate Android app. The transcribe feature will roll out over the next few days to support eight languages: English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai. 

To use the feature, open up the Translate app on your Android device and make sure it's up to date. Hit the "Transcribe" icon from the home screen and choose the source and target languages from the dropdown menu. Tap the mic icon to pause or restart a transcription. 

"We'll continue to make speech translations available in a variety of situations," Google Translate product manager Sami Iqram said in a release. "Right now, the transcribe feature will work best in a quiet environment with one person speaking at a time. In other situations, the app will still do its best to provide the gist of what's being said."

The app's conversation mode allows users to have a translated back-and-forth conversation with someone.