Arabic, one of the most used languages on Google Translate

Mobilk - Last week marked 10 years since the launch of Google Translate. Throughout those years, billions of words were translated helping communities around the world connect. But users expressed a special interest in Arabic, making it one of the top 5 most used languages on Google Translate. Now, there are more than 500 million people using Google Translate and the most common translations are between English and Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese and Indonesian.

Not only does the Translate app help through travels, or text messages from new friends, it also helps people connect with new neighbours. According to Google, usage of Arabic translations in Europe, especially in Germany, increased significantly since the beginning of the refugee crisis.  Also, in Canada, a community uses Translate to break down barriers and make a refugee family feel more welcome.

In 2011, Google first introduced the ability to have a bilingual conversation on Google Translate. The app recognizes which language is being spoken when talking with someone and allows a person to hold a natural conversation in 32 languages. In addition to common phrases like “I love you,” people are looking for translations related to current events and trends. For instance, last year Google saw a big spike in translations for the word “selfie.”

So far, 3.5 million people have made 90 million contributions through Translate Community, helping Google improve and add new languages to Google Translate. According to Google, a few properly translated sentences can make a huge difference when faced with a foreign language or country. By reviewing, validating and recommending translations, Google is able to improve the Google Translate on a daily basis. 

Another helpful feature provided by Google Translate is Word Lens. Word Lens is very useful when reading menus, street signs and more. This feature in the Google Translate App lets you instantly see translations in 28 languages. Many countries don’t have reliable Internet, so it’s important to be able to translate on the go. Word Lens instantly translates signs and menus offline on both Android and iOS, and translates typed text offline with Android.