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Google Plans To Add Real-Time Transcription Feature To Its Translate App

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The US-based tech giant Google is mulling to add a live transcription feature to its Translate app. The feature will be available on the Android platform soon. It is still in the prototype stage. This feature will allow users to record audio in one language and render in another in real-time. The company recently gave a demonstration of the tool at a press meet its San Francisco office. The demo showed English input was translated to Spanish which Google touted as being real-time. The company said it will make its translation tech even more powerful. The new feature will be added to its Google Translate app for Android.

The new feature is similar to how the real-time transcription works in the Recorder app of Google, barring that it also translates the speaker’s words rather than transcribing them. According to Google, the feature will differ from Artificial Intelligence-based and on-device translation features. The features are already available in Google Translate. The new feature will require an internet connection at launch. It is believed that the new feature will not work with audio files. It will have to be live audio captured through a microphone of a smartphone. Google, however, said users can play recorded audio through a speaker and record it through a smartphone microphone. This way it will work with audio files.

Google has not given any timeline for when it plans to launch the feature. But the company confirmed that the real-time transcription for Google Translate app will be arriving at Android. Google said the feature will not support offline translate capabilities like the Recorder app and need an internet connection. When the feature is rolled out, it will mark a significant step as it will unlock continuous speech translations. This will also help businesses and students who face hurdles in understanding a lecture in another language. Google at the press event in San Francisco also showed off other artificial intelligence projects including initiatives in health technology.