Google Translate adds new “Tap to Translate” feature for third-party apps

Google Translate has added some new features and capabilities. These include third-party app integration, improved and expanded offline mode and visual (Word Lens) translation for Chinese languages.

The primary new feature, called “Tap to Translate,” avoids the need to copy text from one app or page and paste it into Google Translate to determine meaning. Now that can be accomplished without switching apps.

Users must have the latest version of Google Translate installed. They then select/copy the desired text, and a Google Translate window pops up in the current app, enabling translation. The GIF (and video) below shows how it works.

This capability also works offline when there’s no connection. Offline mode is now also available for iOS devices.

The total number of languages available to Google Translate is now 52. Google reports that there are more than 500 million Google Translate users, 90 percent of whom live outside the US.

Google also added Chinese translation to its Word Lens “instant visual translation” capability. This feature uses the camera to offer immediate translation on the object or signage itself.