Google is about to bring its Google Translate (Google Translate in France) translation tool into a new era: that of real-time translation powered by artificial intelligence. At an AI event this week in San Francisco, the firm introduced new functionality for its utility that allows it to act as an interpreter at conferences or long speeches. As Engadget recalls, Google had already presented a similar feature at the end of last year, but this only concerned the translation of simple conversations. This time, the giant of Mountain View goes a little further.
A translation made by Google, on its servers
To work, this novelty will however need an internet connection. The reason is simple: the translation will only be done from Google’s servers, and not locally on your mobile, which will however use its microphone. The Verge indicates for its part that Google Translate will take care in real time of gauging the words and their meaning to modify their translation according to the context of the sentences. The tool will also be able to add punctuation so as to best reflect the meaning of the translated speech.
Five languages will be available
An AI-based service requires, initial translations may be a bit hit and miss, but Google promises that its technology will be able to improve quickly, learning from translations requested by users. Google said that this new feature is currently in the testing phase, and that it is already operational in English, German, Spanish and French. Last point: if Google does not yet risk announcing a specific deployment date, the firm still indicates that this novelty will arrive first on Android … in the coming months.