Using Google Translate to Order Food While Abroad
An Asynchronous Lesson by KT King
Instructor: KT King
Date: 11/28/21
Introduction
Please watch the video introduction below!
Google Translate Class Introduction Video!
Overview & Purpose
Have you ever found yourself staring at a food menu at a restaurant made completely of a language that you don't fully understand? Making use of the smart phone app Google Translate's live camera translation tools can make this daunting situation much more simple! This lesson will include a short tutorial on using the app and an exercise at the end that allows learners to try for themselves!
Objectives
1. Understand basic capabilities of Google Translate app.
2. Use Google Translate app for live translations.
3. Demonstrate understanding of Google Translate by practicing using translation features on a provided photograph.
Materials Needed
1. Smart Phone (iPhone or Android)
2. Google Translate App
3. Internet Connection
Introduction
Traveling without knowing the local language can be daunting. There are so many situations that you may come across in daily interactions where an increased language barrier can halt even the best of communicators. However, thanks to an innovative technology produced by Google called Google Translate, this does not have to always be the case.
Three Main Features of Google Translate
1. Traditional Translation
Google Translate's most traditional feature allows for the user to type in a few words and allows the app to process the messages into different languages. This can be extremely helpful when attempting to recall specific vocabulary, such as needing to understand a specific word to ask a question.
Example:
2. Transcribe
Another extremely helpful feature incorporated into Google Translate is the transcribe feature. In this feature, Google Translate listens for the voice of a speaker and automatically tracsribes their speech and translates that speech into text of the language of your choice. To use this feature, simply
tap the 'Transcribe' button and hold the phone up so that the microphone captures the spoken word of the speaker of the language you don't understand. This feature is most helpful when a single person is talking, for example, a tour guide explain the significance of public art Or perhaps a store owner explaining the policies of their business.
Example:
To see how to use this feature, refer to the YouTube tutorial video linked below.
Tutorial: Google Translate Transcribe
3. Camera Translation
Finally, my most used feature incorporated into Google Translate is the Camera Translation tools. In this feature, Google Translate uses an image to find text and translates for easy understanding. There are two main ways to use this feature
First, the Live Camera Translation feature works by pointing your camera directly at printed text and hold the camera steady. Within moments, Google Translate will show the translated text directly over the original text. This feature is particularly useful when entering a restaurant that does not have an English menu.
Second, the 'Image Scan Translation' feature allows the user to select a photo from their phone's storage and receive translated text from the image. In addition to use in a restaurant, this feature is useful for translating paper documents into a language that you understand.
Example:
To see how to use these features, refer to the screen recording videos linked directly below.
Google Translate: Live Camera Translation
Google Translate: Image Scan Translation
Activity
Try to use the Image Scan Translation too.
Download the photo attached below of a menu of a restaurant located in Peru which is printed solely in Spanish. Using the Image Scan Translation tool, decide what you might like to eat from the menu!
Attached Image:
