Google Translate will soon be able to translate-transcribe in almost real time

Google Translate is getting a big new feature - transcriptions. Google said it will roll out the new feature to the Android version of Translate app in the near future. The company hasn't revealed when it will be available to iPhone users.

The transcriptions feature on Google Translate is said to be quite similar to the one on Google Recorder application. Google Translate, however, will also be capable of translating the audio into text in real while transcribing it.

Google also gave a demo of its new transcription feature on the Translate app. The demo shows the Translate app translate-transcribes almost in real time. It also does so with a set of texts instead of word by word.

"We would like to get to that level of quality such that it's comparable to someone who is a native speaker just literally translating something for you. We hope to get there one day," Google product manager Nick Radicevic is quoted as saying.

Radicevic pointed out the transcription quality may depend on a variety of things such as ambient noise or phone's microphone capabilities. He added the Translate app will support transcribe-translate functionality for all major languages.

That said, Google Translate's upcoming feature appears to be based on Google Assistant's Interpreter mode which allows users to translate conversations in real time. Already, Google has introduced transcription feature on its updated Recorder application, which is currently available to select handsets.

Live transcription has been one of the most sought after features for smartphone users, especially professionals like journalists who regularly need a tool to help transcript long conversations. For now, there are a very few good tools like Otter.AI that help allow users to do so. Google, however, has an edge over other third-party apps with its deeper understanding of languages and accents around the world.