CNET News - Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 10:00 AM
Google Assistant's language interpreter tool comes to phones - CNET
Google Assistant's language interpreter tool will soon work on your phone.
Juan Garzon / CNET
Google on Thursday said it's bringing its an AI-powered language interpreter
tool to phones. The software lets two people carry on a conversation while
speaking different languages.
Interpreter mode is coming to Google Assistant on phones.
Google
The tool, called interpreter mode, will soon work on your phone with Google
Assistant, the search giant's digital helper that competes with Amazon's Alexa
and Apple's Siri. Google launched the tool earlier this year at the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas. At the time, though, it was only available on
smart displays and piloted in specific scenarios, like speaking to a hotel
concierge.
Starting today, Google is rolling the technology out to Android phones and
iPhones. Here's how it works: Activate the Google Assistant, and say something
like, "Be my Thai translator," or "Help me speak Italian." You speak a phrase
into the phone and audio plays in the other language. Your phone's microphone
stays on between responses. You can also type a response using the phone's
keyboard or manually select when you want to speak. The feature works with 44
languages, including Greek, Turkish and Mandarin.
The feature could be helpful for travelers. In the last few months, Google has
tried to beef up its translation and maps tools to help people visiting other
countries. In August, the company announced new features for Google Maps to let
people pull up their travel reservations, like flight and hotel bookings, so
they don't have to leave the app while they're navigating to a new destination.
Another new Maps tool lets people hear the correct pronunciation of places they
might not know because they don't know how to read or speak the language. The
idea is to be able to say the word well enough to ask for directions or tell a
taxi driver where to go.
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Google isn't the first company to bring translation-on-the-go devices.
Developers, including Dosmono and China's Sogou, already make them. But because
of the reach of Android and iOS -- they're essentially a duopoly in the global
phone market -- Google is taking the scale to the next level, particularly with
Android phones that have the Assistant built in.
"Android's scale is really interesting because it's distributed in places where
so many people speak multiple languages," Vincent Lacey, a product manager for
the Assistant, said when interpreter mode launched in January. "You can see
that unlocks a lot of opportunities."
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-assistants-language-interpreter-tool-comes-to-phones/#ftag=CAD590a51e
David Goldfield
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