There's a new Google Translate update for iOs and Android. Aside from fixing a sharing bug with Facebook Messenger, users can now utilize it to translate Japanese-English with the app's Word Lens feature.

New Google Translate update: Japanese-English

According to Mac Rumors, English-speaking users can point their smartphone camera at Japanese text and get an instant English translation on screen. The same can be applied vice versa, as Japanese tourists who visit mostly English-speaking countries can translate english words into Japanese characters.

New Google Translate update: augmented reality

Before the new Google Translate update, the company mentioned that users could take a photo of Japanese text and get an English translation, but thanks to the AR (augmented reality) in Word Lens, it makes it more convenient to translate words when one is in a foreign city.

Now, users wouldn't have to worry about not having an Internet connection or mobile data when using the app while travelling. The handy translation software works offline. 

New Google Translate update: how to use it

With Word Lens, you just need to open up the Translate app, point your camera at some Japanese text and the English translations will instantly appear on your screen. If you haven't used it, you can download the offline translation pack for a given language and tap the camera icon in Translate. Make sure the eye icon at the bottom right is green. (via Android Police)

Back in November, it can be recalled that Google announced a new Google Translate update, which made longer articles and paragraphs easier to read. With the new AI learning software called Neural Machine Translation, Google Translate can now learn to give its users more natural translations.

The new Google Translate update is still rolling out, although it can be downloaded in APKMirror if you want to try it immediately. What are your other favorite features from the new Google Translate update?