Google Adds iPhone Translation App

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If you enjoy Google’s online translation services, there’s now an iPhone app that will bring that functionality to the smartphone. The free app will translate 57 languages by text input and 15 languages by voice input, according to the official Google blog. Your translation can also be spoken out loud in 23 different languages, using the same technology that is used on the Google Translate desktop program.

Google Translate includes most of the features of the web app including dictionary results for single words and ability to access your favorite translations and translation history even when you aren’t online. It can also read romanized text from languages like Pinyin and Romaji. Full screen capabilities can expand the text so you can read with ease. The app works for iPhone or iPod touches version iOS 3 or later.

Wall Street Journal points out that it is a bold move for Google to be developing apps for the iOS platform, especially since the company has made it very clear that they like the Web over the app store experience reported to the Financial Times. In an email to the Wall Street Journal analyst Michael Gartenberg said that Google sees the benefit of apps that bring functionalities “that you just can’t get from the web,” and the company will continue to make native apps for mobile phones.

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