International travelers will appreciate today’s Google Translate update. The app, which now sits at version 2.5, has added the ability to translate text taken from a photo as well as general improvements in the app’s functionality. Google Googles has had photo translation for a bit now, but having it built into the translation app makes more sense so I’m glad they added it.

Android 2.3 or above is required in order to use the photo translation feature, which works by taking a photo and then brushing over the text you’d like translated. Other improvements added in version 2.5 include:

• Get instant translation results as you type.
• Choose dialect preference for speech input.
• Japanese handwriting now recognizes multiple characters at once.
• Added access network state permission to check network availability when sending requests.

So the next time you find yourself in a foreign country, staring at a menu in confusion, whip out your trusty Google Translate app, and make sure you don’t order some funky cheese with a side of cow intestines (unless, of course, that’s your kind of thing).

• ViaAndroid Central
• Google Play StoreGoogle Translate