App adds ability to carry on a real-time translated conversation between people who speak different languages. November 20, 2013 4:06 PM PST Google's new conversation voice translator. (Credit: Screenshot by Steven Musil/CNET) Google announced an update on Wednesday for its Translate app for Android that promises faster speech translation, support for more languages, and an updated user interface. Perhaps the most attractive portion of the update is the ability to have a real-time translated conversation between people who speak different languages. And Google has made the translation process as simple as touching the app's microphone and rotating the screen to switch between the languages. A Google demonstration of the new feature in action: The update adds support for Hebrew, Javanese, and Esperanto to app's handwriting feature, allowing users to write a word or character they don't understand on the screen of their smartphone or tablet for immediate translation. Language support for Malay and Ukranian have been added to the app's camera translation feature, which allows users to translate text using only their device's camera lens. Employing Google Goggles' optical character recognition (OCR) technology, the app translates words or characters captured in images with the simple brush of the text. Google also touts the app's new "sleek" user interface, which will hopefully make it even easier to break down language barriers. Google said it is rolling out the update to the Google Play store on Wednesday and Thursday.

App adds ability to carry on a real-time translated conversation between people who speak different languages.

November 20, 2013 4:06 PM PST

Google's new conversation voice translator.

(Credit: Screenshot by Steven Musil/CNET)

Google announced an update on Wednesday for its Translate app for Android that promises faster speech translation, support for more languages, and an updated user interface.

Perhaps the most attractive portion of the update is the ability to have a real-time translated conversation between people who speak different languages. And Google has made the translation process as simple as touching the app's microphone and rotating the screen to switch between the languages.

A Google demonstration of the new feature in action:

The update adds support for Hebrew, Javanese, and Esperanto to app's handwriting feature, allowing users to write a word or character they don't understand on the screen of their smartphone or tablet for immediate translation.

Language support for Malay and Ukranian have been added to the app's camera translation feature, which allows users to translate text using only their device's camera lens. Employing Google Goggles' optical character recognition (OCR) technology, the app translates words or characters captured in images with the simple brush of the text.

Google also touts the app's new "sleek" user interface, which will hopefully make it even easier to break down language barriers. Google said it is rolling out the update to the Google Play store on Wednesday and Thursday.