Google debuted a real-time Transcribe feature for the Translate app on Android back in January. The feature enabled live-translation and transcription of audio that is being captured by a phone’s microphone in real-time. The search giant today announced that that feature is now beginning to roll out to the Translate app for all Android users. The firm recently added new languages to Translate, making it 108 supported languages in total.
Currently, the app can live-translate eight languages in any combination. The languages include English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai. Users can translate any one of these languages into the other. The updated app now sports a redesigned home screen with three icons present prominently on the fore – Camera, Conversation, and Transcribe.
Users can tap on the Transcribe icon, select the source and target languages, and start the transcription by tapping on the mic icon. The transcription can be paused or restarted by tapping on the mic icon. Users can also see the original transcript of the translation, with the option to choose the text size or use a dark theme provided in the Settings menu.
The company says that the app currently works best in a quiet environment and that it works with one person speaking at a time. The company plans to improve the feature with time and adds that the Conversation mode is still best suited for translating back and forth conversations. The update that brings the Transcribe feature is a staggered rollout and should make it to all Android users over the next couple of days.