Google releases offline language packages for Google Translate

28 Mar 2013

Internet search giant Google has made communicating in a foreign country a little easier with its launch of offline language packages for Google Translate on Android, with support for 50 languages.

So should you happen to be stuck in a far-flung place with no internet access and want to know how to ask someone, “where can I catch a taxi?” have no fear if you have the Google Translate on Android app (versions 2.3 and above) installed on your mobile device.

To use the feature (obviously enable this prior to travel), select ‘Offline Languages’ in the app menu to see the offline language packages available for download.

Then, to enable offline translation between any two languages, select them in the ‘Offline Languages’ menu and download the package, Minqi Jiang, associate product manager, on behalf of the Google Translate Team, wrote on the The Official Google Translate blog.

“While the offline models are less comprehensive than their online equivalents, they are perfect for translating in a pinch when you are travelling abroad with poor reception or without mobile data access,” Jiang wrote.

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic

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