Hello, Ciao, Hola, Bonjour, Google Translate gets Amazing

     Google announced a major update that will soon be coming to the Google Translate app. According to The New York Times, the app will soon have the powerful functionality to recognize and convert detected speech input to text in a chosen output language. This means that language is no longer a barrier to collaboration as students and educators can instantaneously converse with others all over the world. Content in collaboration can become the clear focus as teachers and students do not have to worry about properly getting across their thoughts and ideas.
     Google is also looking to release an app that can translate text captured with the camera into a selected language. Google purchased Quest Visual, the company that developed Word Lens so this does not come as a surprise. It will be interesting to see how these new tools get adopted into the suite of productivity tools that Google already provides. Imagine holding a Google Hangout with a teacher from India and having instant translations as the two of you collaborate on a math lesson. Students can possibly take pictures of books in other languages and have the text translated and converted directly into Google Docs. The complete integration of these tools can have a huge impact on the delivery and process of teaching and learning.