The future is here. The free Google Translate app can now translate text in real time using your phones built in camera. This means you can hold your phone up to a sign and read the text in your native language on the phone.
I saw this technology a while ago when it was called Word Lens but it never worked this well. At this point you can translate 27 different languages in real time. This will completely change the way that I travel from now on (as long as I have a local sim card or wifi connection).
Check out this second video of the Google Translate team using the app to "sing" along with the song "La Bamba"
Had this feature for a couple of years with Bing Translator on Windows Phone, just a FYI. It's the same engine used for Skype real-time translation and other translation services MS offers so it also handles typed and voice in addition to camera. One key advantage it has over Google is that it can be used offline if you download the language packs.
Not sure if it's cross-platform like many of MS services but it might be worth looking into if it's a requirement.
The future was already here in 2012. The problem is that large companies like Google trust US media who trust World media, for announcing innovation 3 years late !! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZvIrnEVsy4
Yep, the got the Word Lens app... http://questvisual.com/
'Word lens' never worked this well, thanks google for polishing it up for us :)
I wonder how well it will do with Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67u2fmYz7S4
I tried it. Couldn't really keep up with the hand written words
I expected as such.
Hasn't this been out for ages? I'm sure i used the real time translate feature in the google translate app while travelling almost a year ago now... maybe we had an early release one in the Australian app store (that would make a change instead of being 6 months behind)