Introducing the Google Translate app for iPhone

I find it insane that we've come to a point when speaking to a machine gives you the ability to translate what you just said to a different language immediately. Sure, the pieces were all out there already, but the combination of all of them in one package is non-trivial. We've come a long way.

Much like Louis C.K. would say about flying: "people complain about not having wifi on a plane, but they're flying through the air, sitting in a f*cking chair"

Re: Introducing the Google Translate app for iPhone

#5

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Feb 08, 2011, 8:45 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Introducing the Google Translate app for iPhone

#6

Post by notyourwork » Tue, Feb 08, 2011, 8:47 PM UTC

I find it amusing that google has an application that can translate from language to language yet when I call 's automated system they cannot decipher what I am saying worth a damn.

Re: Introducing the Google Translate app for iPhone

#7

Post by ylem » Tue, Feb 08, 2011, 8:56 PM UTC

I think it's cool. I played with it for Android (not the voice input, but the text based input and the voice output). I was with a Russian and Turkish colleague (I speak American English). We found that the translation was pretty good--but that the speech synthesis was pretty bad for both Turkish and Russian. Has anyone checked it out for Chinese, Japanese, or Spanish?

Re: Introducing the Google Translate app for iPhone

#8

Post by affiliator » Tue, Feb 08, 2011, 8:59 PM UTC

axiom wrote: post #3

So, you do realize that once you can fit something like this in your ear you have a bona-fide Star Trek universal translator.

Couple it with a tablet, load up wikipedia and you're ready to beam aboard any passing Vogon spaceship.

Re: Introducing the Google Translate app for iPhone

#9

Post by cryptoz » Tue, Feb 08, 2011, 9:00 PM UTC

fredoliveira wrote: post #4

I find it insane that we've come to a point when speaking to a machine gives you the ability to translate what you just said to a different language immediately. Sure, the pieces were all out there already, but the combination of all of them in one package is non-trivial. We've come a long way. Much like Louis C.K. would say about flying: "people complain about not having wifi on a plane, but they're flying through t…

"You're sitting in a chair. IN THE SKY!" and paraphrasing... "Are you not amazed you're partaking in the miracle of human flight, you non-contibuting ZERO?"

Re: Introducing the Google Translate app for iPhone

#10

Post by noinput » Tue, Feb 08, 2011, 9:04 PM UTC

The speak feature really would have came in handy when I was in China for the big earthquake in 2008. I thought I'd be ahead of the game and use g-translate to pre-save some fullscreen images of phrases I wanted to use while I was there. My favorite loss in translation moment was when I tried asking a Monk if I may please take his picture, only to find out I was asking him if I might take all of his personal pictures.