If you are traveling abroad this summer and don't speak the local language, don't forget to download the new version of the Google Translate app.
The updated edition of the Android app, released on August 9, includes a new feature that allows the translation of words captured by the phone's camera.
After you take a picture, the new feature lets you highlight the text in the picture that you want to translate. The current version will allow translation of words or sentences between 64 languages. The app also includes an audio conversation feature, introduced back in 2011 and now available in 17 languages. The translated results are spoken in 40 languages.
In a blog post in April, Google announced that translate.google.com had more than 200 million users per month and a lot more through other devices such as Chrome, mobile apps and YouTube. Around 92 percent of the users are outside the US. According to the post, the translation service is especially popular among travelers. The company has seen mobile traffic more than quadruple year over year.
Google Translate 2.5 requires Android 2.1 and can be downloaded for free at:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.translate&hl=en