Augmented reality and translation are a perfect match, and Microsoft has finally paired the two in their latest update to the Bing Translation app for Windows Phone. With the new version, you can scan menus or signs in a foreign language and Bing will overlay translated text in a flash. It’s like “automatic subtitles for everyday life,” says the official announcement post.
AR translation is supported in six languages at the moment: English, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish. As you can see in the screenshot, it’s not perfect — machine translation can’t yet process the nuances of language the same way a human interpreter can — but it’s definitely good enough to make sure that you’re boarding the correct bus or train or ordering what you think you’re ordering.
Another massive addition to the new Bing Translation app is offline translation. Bing works incredibly well in areas where you’ve got a network connection, but if you’re going to be journeying into a dead zone (or simply don’t want to run up any data charges) you can select specific language packs to store offline. There’s also a new speak and translate mode that lets you translate audio on the fly. A network connection is required for this mode, however, even if you’ve got the applicable offline dictionary installed.
The update wasn’t completely flaw-free, however. One of the first commenters on the Bing announcement noted that the German translation of “pin to start” was incorrect — which you’d kind of expect not to happen with a new and improved translation app.
More at Bing
