Google Translate updates could benefit travellers
Google has updated its smartphone translation app to incorporate an 'offline mode', allowing users to translate direct speech and writing without a data or Wi-Fi connection. The 'Word Lens' feature is also set to become available as a part of this new launch - translating words, signs, menus or photos in 29 languages using a smartphone camera. Available to all smartphone users from 12 May, the new update will enable travellers to translate up to 52 different languages without paying high prices for mobile data.

Need a translation app for your vacation but don’t want to get slammed with a big data bill?

New updates to Google Translate, including the addition of another major language and a pop-up translation feature, can help.

Google said today that its translation app — which can translate in a number of ways including hearing someone speak or by reading what they write — can now be used in offline mode with no data or Wi-Fi connection on both iOS and Android (it previously wasn’t available on iOS), potentially eliminating the high price of data for travelers with iPhones.

Some 52 languages, including French, German, Russian and, most recently, Filipino, can be translated offline. A complete list is here.

Additionally, the app now offers both simplified and traditional Chinese through its Word Lens feature: Users can hold their smartphone camera over a word, sign, menu or photo in 29 languages and instantly see a translation. This is the latest addition to a list that includes Arabic, Italian, Thai and Spanish.