The recent update to the free Google Translate App for Android has added more languages and given it an improved interface - but not all users are happy.
The latest version 2.4.1 of Google Translate for Android has added Esperanto translation and many new text to speech languages. It is claimed to have a simpler, more beautiful design plus bug fixes and various tweaks, supports handwriting in sixteen languages.
According to Josh Estelle, from the Google Translate team, on the Overall it now:
Understands your Handwriting in 16 languages
Understands your Voice in 20 languages
Translates between 64 languages
Speaks back to you in 44 languages
The main change in the latest version is the revamped UI which in in line with ICS's Holo Theme:
The Google Translate App had, and still has, a very positive rating (currently 4.6 out of a possible 5) but opinions are mixed about the update, with a large influx of negative reviews.
There seem to be some serious complaints. Many users are asking what has happened to the Rich dictionary which is no longer there and others are reporting a force closing behavior. With regard to specific languages the fact that Japanese no longer gives the romanji is one criticism and another is that now each stroke in a Japanese character is recognized as a separate character.
However, given its huge user base and the efforts of the Google Translate team, this Android app will no doubt continue to be updated. Let's hope all the complaints will go away after the next release.
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