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April 14, 2011

Google Translate, Now With Voice Input

Google Chrome 11 added support for HTML speech input API. "With this API, developers can give web apps the ability to transcribe your voice to text. When a web page uses this feature, you simply click on an icon and then speak into your computer's microphone. The recorded audio is sent to speech servers for transcription, after which the text is typed out for you."

Google Translate is the first Google service that uses this feature. If you use Google Chrome 11 Beta, Google Chrome 12 Dev/Canary or a recent Chromium build and visit Google Translate, you can click the voice input icon. Right now, this feature only works for English, so you need to select "English" from the list of input languages.


Unfortunately, the results aren't great. I tried to translate "beautiful sunshine" into French, but the speech-to-text engine didn't work properly and Google had to translate "wake up beautiful sunshine girl".


{ Thanks, Kalin. }

33 comments:

  1. Its finally here!!!
    I had seen a preview of this earlier at IFA Sept, 2010.
    Now conversation mode isn't far away either :D

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  2. It should have an option to confirm if the user wants to transmit his/her voice or not, before transmitting it. Like in Adobe flash....

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  3. The word "f*ck" is understood as #### :o)

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  4. Is this option being rolled out? I'm in the latest beta release but don't see the option.

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  5. I've just installed Chrome 11.0.696.43 beta and it works.

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  6. I wonder if this feature could learn to transcribe a particular users (prolfile) voice to text? Seems like accurate transcriptions are difficult since we all pronounce words a little differently...

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  7. Thanks for confirming, Alex!

    Now I see it! I had to change the language (I had detect language and English). When I switched to Spanish, it gave me a Spanish language keyboard and when I switch to English, it displayed a mike.

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  8. Lovely, the next feature they should have in Blog Editor and in Comments area. Works awesome despite my obvious Asian accent :-)

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  9. wonder if it will be able to import wav files in the future?

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  10. If you speak slowly and pronounce well and leave a tiny silence in between each word, the results are much, much better.

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  11. So, can any html5 website spy on me using the microphone?

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  12. Amazing collection of good thought here.I am agree with this nice direction on good topic.Keep it continue with us.

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  13. A new concept Google just reveal :)

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  14. Good! Finally they did it. Very useful functionality for all.

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  15. This would be great if you need to know what something means in another language but don't feel like typing.

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  16. It would be wonderful if you could join each user's particular voice profile to their Google account. Results would be both more accurate and much more economic!

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  17. pretty cool for a start, I must admit..... it's funny though at this point with accents.. for e.g had to actually speak "beautiful sunshine" in a highly Indian accent to get the translation done correctly... English -> German.

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  18. uhhhh it would be wonderful if the google translate that keeps coming up still looked like this so i could listen to what i want to translate....THANKS A LOT GOOGLE!

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  19. Hey guys please tell me how i can get the speak now button. If anyone can tell me step by step, i will be thankful to u.

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  20. Not working very well.

    I can't get it understand word: run.

    Please continue its development.

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  21. Is it to sell "Zoom Dwonloader"?

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    Replies
    1. Notice the word “Downloader” is misspelled.

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  22. my google translate haven't voice tool. how to apear / show it?

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  23. Right now, this feature only works for English, so you need to select "English" from the list of input languages.
    English -> Other language

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  24. Any idea when will more languages be supported for voice input? And what they will be?

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  25. How can I put some pauses or delays into the audio output of the text to speech on Google Translate? Are there any special codes and other similar services?

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  26. i want to start but dont know how

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  27. I find it terribly offensive that you change the voice of the Google translator you put the accents

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  28. in my chrome this option is not available. please tell me how i get this. my chrome up to date

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