Google Translate will now understand the difference between bass and bass
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Revealed at the company’s Live from Paris event, Google Translate is getting a much-needed upgrade as it gains what is arguably the most important translation metric: context.
With the power of AI, Google translate will begin providing more “contextual translation options” complete with examples in the intended language. In the example given, the AI can understand whether you are talking about ordering a bass (the fish) for dinner or ordering a bass (the instrument) for your band. The service then provides example sentences for each translation that relate to a particular meaning.
In addition to maintaining accuracy, the announcement states (opens in new tab) Google Translate will begin using “the appropriate turns of phrase, local expressions, or appropriate words, depending on your intent.” That way, the translated sentence corresponds to how a native speaker talks.
The update will roll out to Google Translate on both mobile and browser versions in the coming weeks. Only a handful of languages are supported at launch: English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. Other reports (opens in new tab) claim that more languages will be released in months. We’ve reached out to Google to confirm; however, a representative told us that the company has no new information to share at this time.
Update the iOS app
In addition, the redesign of the Google Translate app that first appeared on Android is being migrated to iOS. iPhone owners will now experience a slew of quality-of-life changes, such as a “larger canvas for typing.” [alongside] more accessible access points”. The user interface has also been streamlined to make translating easier.
You also have a more dynamic font that automatically corrects itself as you type. “Alternate translation and dictionary definitions” appear next to translations. Users can also press and hold the language button to “quickly choose a recently used language”. And if you swipe down on the text area, recent translations will be displayed.
To top it off, Google Translate on iOS supports an additional 33 languages, from Hawaiian, Hmong, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish – just to name a few. It is recommended that you download this batch to your phone in case you get stuck without an internet connection and need to translate something quickly. A set of instructions on how to download it can be found on the Translate Help page (opens in new tab).
Hopefully, with these changes, Google Translate can shake things up long standing reputation (opens in new tab) of being inaccurate. But if you still don’t trust the service and want something better, check out TechRadar’s recently updated list of the best translation software of 2023.