Google Goggles is making it a little easier to wander around foreign countries where you don't speak the language.
The latest version of the software, for Android 1.6 phones and higher, lets users snap a photo of text and get a translation on the fly. I imagine it would be useful for reading signs or brochures, and Google notes that it could take some of the mystery out of ordering food at a restaurant.
Android phone users need only point their camera at some text, highlight the area with the words that need translating and snap a photo. Google Translate should recognize the language and give you the option to translate. Right now, Google Goggles translation can read English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, and it can translate to plenty of other languages. Support for reading other Latin-based languages is on the way, and eventually Google wants to support non-Latin characters such as Chinese and Arabic.
Goggles' main function is to identify real-world objects by cross checking them against Google's image database -- for instance, product information, landmarks or artwork. Those are cool features, but none of them seem quite as useful as the ability to translate text without having to write it down. When executed properly, it could eliminate the need for a pocket translator if you're on vacation in foreign country. According to a hands-on by Ars Technica, the software works well enough to figure out what's going on, though it sometimes has trouble recognizing that an image has text.
Of course, translation itself has to improve before Google Goggles translation can reach perfection. That's something Google is working on, as the company hopes that its Android phones can some day translate voice conversations on the fly.
