Traveling to a different country where you don't speak the language? You might want to download the Google Translate app on your mobile device before your flight takes off.
Google on Wednesday added some new features to the app, which should help you more easily navigate the local language. For starters, you can now snap a photo of text, and the app will instantly translate it — kind of like magic. This feature should come in handy when you're trying to navigate street signs or order something off a restaurant menu in a different language.
While using the Translate app, simply point your camera at a sign or text and you'll see a translated version overlaid on your screen. This new feature works when you're translating French, German, Italian, Portugese, Russian, and Spanish to English, or vice versa. It will even work in places where you don't have an Internet or data connection.
The feature is similar to the WordLens app, which Google now owns as part of its 2014 acquisition of Quest Visual.
Besides that, Google tweaked the app's real-time conversation feature to make the dialogue flow faster and more naturally.
"When talking with someone in an unfamiliar language, conversations can... get... realllllllly... sloowwww," Google Translate Product Lead Barak Turovsky wrote in a blog post Wednesday. So, with the latest version, simply tap the mic and start speaking; then the app will automatically recognize which language is being spoken, so you can have a more fluid conversation. "For the rest of the conversation, you won't need to tap the mic again—it'll be ready as you need it," Turovsky wrote.
These new features are available on iOS and Android. Head over to the App Store or Google Play to download the latest version of Google Translate.
Rumors about a Google Translate update emerged earlier this week, shortly after Microsoft released a preview version of its real-time translation feature for Skype.