If you don’t read or speak Japanese, you know that going to Japan and trying to find your way around can be a daunting task. Heck, even the Japanese know that sometimes tourists can get confused at how to use their electric toilets which is why they’re standardizing it now. However not to fear as Google Translate is here.
In an announcement on Google’s blog, the company has announced that its Word Lens feature in the Translate app will now support Japanese. But wait, doesn’t Google Translate already support Japanese? Prior to this, users of the app would be able to point the app’s camera at Japanese text, take a photo, and then translate it. It was a bit slow but it worked, at least for the most part.
However Google is boasting that with its Word Lens feature, users don’t need to take a photo anymore as it will translate Japanese to English and vice versa in real time. “With Word Lens, you just need to fire up the Translate app, point your camera at the Japanese text, and the English translations will appear overlaid on your screen—even if you don’t have an Internet or data connection. It’s every savvy traveller’s dream!”
Word Lens can be found inside of the Google Translate app so all you have to do is head on over to the iTunes App Store or Google Play to get your hands on the latest version of the app.