Google in Your Pocket

Do the people at Google ever sleep?

Google has unveiled a pretty amazing new tool for the users of Google’s Droid Smartphone Operating System, that places language technology in the hands of the user.

Meet Google Translate for your phone.

Imagine walking the streets of China and suddenly you feel hungry but don’t know how to ask where you can get a hamburger. That’s not a problem if you have a Google-powered phone. Simply say “Where can I get a hamburger?” and voila! Not only will it show the translated text (both in Chinese characters and phonetically), but the app also speaks the phrase to you in a computerized voice!

Now, how accurate is this hot new tool? It rocks for basic phrases, but is less than perfect when you get too technical. A handful of bilingual speakers of Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese sure seem impressed by its capabilities. No more language barriers with this in your pocket!

What are your translation experiences?

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