Google Translate now supports handwriting input in 45 languages

July 25, 2013 Leave a comment

Google Translate now supports handwriting input in 45 languages

By EMIL PROTALINSKIWednesday, 24 Jul ’13, 11:02pm

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Google today launched handwriting input for Google Translate. The feature, which currently support 45 languages, lets you translate a written expression even if you don’t know how to type it out on a keyboard. If you’re getting a feeling of déjà vu, don’t worry: Google brought handwriting input to Google Translate for Android back in December 2012. Earlier this year, Google updated its Google Input Tools for the desktop by adding new virtual keyboards, input method editors, and transliteration input tools. Now it’s time to bring handwriting to the Web.Here’s how the feature looks in action:

If, for example, you want to translate the Chinese expression “饺子” to your native language, but have absolutely no idea how to type the characters, you can now write them out by hand. First, pick an input language (in this case Chinese) and if supported, you will see the input tools icon at the bottom of the text area which you can click to switch to handwriting mode.

At this point, all you have to do is draw out the characters on the main panel of the handwriting tool just like you see them, and Google Translate them will do the rest. You can draw multiple characters at once:

This is a great addition to Google Translate, though we’re of course not surprised the company decided to added to Android first. You’re more likely to be on the go when wanting to translate something, and writing out characters with your finger rather than your mouse is just easier. Still, touchscreens are getting more popular on the desktop (thanks in part to Windows 8) so this is certainly a welcome addition.

Filed under TMT Trends

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Kee Koon Boon (“KB”) is the co-founder and director of HERO Investment Management which provides specialized fund management and investment advisory services to the ARCHEA Asia HERO Innovators Fund (www.heroinnovator.com), the only Asian SMID-cap tech-focused fund in the industry. KB is an internationally featured investor rooted in the principles of value investing for over a decade as a fund manager and analyst in the Asian capital markets who started his career at a boutique hedge fund in Singapore where he was with the firm since 2002 and was also part of the core investment committee in significantly outperforming the index in the 10-year-plus-old flagship Asian fund. He was also the portfolio manager for Asia-Pacific equities at Korea’s largest mutual fund company. Prior to setting up the H.E.R.O. Innovators Fund, KB was the Chief Investment Officer & CEO of a Singapore Registered Fund Management Company (RFMC) where he is responsible for listed Asian equity investments. KB had taught accounting at the Singapore Management University (SMU) as a faculty member and also pioneered the 15-week course on Accounting Fraud in Asia as an official module at SMU. KB remains grateful and honored to be invited by Singapore’s financial regulator Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to present to their top management team about implementing a world’s first fact-based forward-looking fraud detection framework to bring about benefits for the capital markets in Singapore and for the public and investment community. KB also served the community in sharing his insights in writing articles about value investing and corporate governance in the media that include Business Times, Straits Times, Jakarta Post, Manual of Ideas, Investopedia, TedXWallStreet. He had also presented in top investment, banking and finance conferences in America, Italy, Sydney, Cape Town, HK, China. He has trained CEOs, entrepreneurs, CFOs, management executives in business strategy & business model innovation in Singapore, HK and China.

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