Word Lens helps travellers in translating signs on the fly

Quest Visual, which makes an augmented reality app that shows how powerful the technology can be, has made its flagship Word Lens app and all language packs (English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Russian among them) "free to download for a limited time while we transition to Google" as a thank-you to all of its supporters after its acquisition by Google. 

Source: Word Lens page on Play Store.

Links to download Glass, Android and iOS versions of the Word Lens app are on its website. Billed as being able to 'see the world in your language', Word Lens picks out words in one language in a picture while the camera is switched on, and translates it on the fly into another language. 

The implications for travel are profound, and Google's investment could bring support for more languages, more accurate translation, as well as Word Lens augmented reality technology across all of Google's products.