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The Google Translate app was updated with easily accessible word definitions, an account switcher, and some other additions as part of the 5.8 update that the Mountain View-based tech giant started rolling out on Monday. The latest version of Google Translate should already be available for download worldwide as of this writing and you can see whether you’re able to get it by following the Google Play Store link below.
The newly added account switcher in Google Translate is similar to the one featured in many other Google-made products and services. It’s available in the hamburger menu of the app and works as expected, allowing you to quickly switch between Google accounts within Google Translate by simply tapping icons. While there’s usually little reason to switch between accounts if you’re only using Google Translate for minor translations of individual words and phrases, features like Phrasebook can benefit from separate accounts, especially if you’re dealing with more than two languages on a regular basis.
The word definitions introduced by the update version 5.8 might be more universally useful seeing how they allow you to quickly define words you’ve translated. The definitions are presented in a separate card located immediately below the card that displays alternate translations and synonyms on the main translation interface. The definitions provided by the Google Translate app are written in the source language you’re using, meaning if you translate a French word into English, the app will define it in French. The feature seemingly only works for defining individual words and can’t be used to expand on idioms and phrases, though it might be improved in the near future. The latest addition to the Google Translate app is more or less identical to the Definitions tab that was introduced in the browser version of the tool a while back. Finally, the new stable build of Google Translate also includes some unspecified performance tweaks and improvements, as well as several strings referencing China, but it’s currently unclear what exactly they’re denoting. Refer to the gallery below to see some screenshots of those new strings, as well as the features outlined above, courtesy of 9to5Google.
