Google to Offer Offline AI Translator to Let Users Overcome Language Barriers

Even though the world is more connected than it has ever been, language barriers still prevent smooth communication among people. This is why services like Google Translate can be so useful, but its online connectivity requirement limits its functionality. This will soon no longer be a problem, with Google announcing that an offline version of the service will become available.

The offline version of Google Translate will be powered by artificial intelligence, according to the company’s blog post on the matter. There was actually already an offline language dictionary that Google was offering. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly the most user-friendly service available. It had issues regarding nuances in certain languages as well.

“Just about two years ago we introduced neural machine translation (NMT) to Google Translate, significantly improving accuracy of our online translations. Today, we’re bringing NMT technology offline—on device. This means that the technology will run in the Google Translate apps directly on your Android or iOS device, so that you can get high-quality translations even when you don't have access to an internet connection,” the blog post reads.

As Engadget notes, the service will initially cover 58 languages which can include major European dialects and Asian varieties. They should prove quite useful when traveling to major tourist destinations. However, it’s worth pointing out that there could be major differences in the local dialects that people speak in diverse countries.

Despite the improved accuracy of the translation, it would seem that the new service won’t take up too much space on devices. Apparently, each language only requires 30MB to 40MB of memory space. This means that users can load up their smartphones with several dozens of languages if they have the memory for them all.

The feature should become available worldwide by June 15, just in time for the next planned vacation.