Google Software Translates Text from Phone Photos - 362

Photo by sfllawInternational travelers, say goodbye to frantically flipping through your translation book when you don’t understand that street sign or the entrée on the menu at a local bistro. According the AP, Google Inc. is working on software that will soon make foreign travel and translation a lot easier.

During a demonstration at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday, an engineer showed the capability of a phone using Google Inc.’s Android software. The phone was used to take a photo of an item written in German on a menu – “Fruhlingssalat mit Wildkrautern.” The photo was sent to Google servers and a translation was sent back – “Spring salad with wild herbs.”

According to the report, picture translation is currently available on some phones, but the processing is different. In most cases the translation is processed directly on the phone. What makes Google’s software more attractive is that the images are sent to a server to be processed resulting in a faster, more accurate translation.

These servers available through the wireless networks are referred to as “cloud computing,” according to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and using them is expected to bring powerful change to the industry.

No timeframe has been announced for when this software will become available to the public. One thing is for sure though. Once it does become available fewer unidentifiable foods will be consumed and wrong turns taken by travelers around the world.

 Lori Rice is a freelance health and travel writer, and Galavanting travel news and reviews correspondent. You can follow her adventures at 3 Star Traveler or explore her thoughts as a nutritionist, wellness advocate and foodie traveler at Fake Food Free.