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.

Free Learner's Dictionary offers unlimited translations

Dictionary.com has introduced a free Learner's Dictionary on its Android app, which has been downloaded 80 million times. With the addition of the Learner's Dictionary, the Dictionary.com app has all the tools to land a job or ready staff for business meetings. 

According to the company, English is the global language of business, and used by an estimated 565 million people on the Internet. Dictionary.com quotes the Harvard Business Review, which reported in 2012 that an increasing number of businesses mandate English as the common corporate tongue, including Airbus, Daimler-Chrysler, Nokia, Renault, Samsung, SAP, Technicolor, and Microsoft in Beijing.

"If there is one essential tool for English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students to have, it's a reliable, comprehensive, easy-to-use dictionary that puts them on course to excel," said Michele Turner, CEO of Dictionary.com. "The addition of our Learner's Dictionary to the Dictionary.com app is all that and more, with 2 million definitions, synonyms and antonyms, an audio pronunciation function, and a translator offering unlimited free translations between English and 30 other languages." 

From the company that delivers definitions for more than 3.6 billion words searched annually, the new Learner's Dictionary features:

• Translator with unlimited free translations between English and 30 other languages, such as Hindi, Chinese, Malaysian, Korean, Spanish, German, and French 
• Audio pronunciation function to instantly know the correct way of saying a word 
• Voice search to easily find a definition 
• Offline capability, so no Internet connection is needed for searching for words
• Idioms and phrases used by native speakers to empower anyone to stand out in a job interview 
• 41,000 foundational words and definitions for learning English 
• 105,000 easy example sentences to learn essential words in context
• Grammar and tips for additional command of English language 

The updated Dictionary.com app is available to download here. Comparable dictionaries may cost up to US$29.99, the company said.

Other apps for self-improvement were recently blogged here.