Some of the exciting new announcements that Google released at I/O 2022 include a new Google Wallet, Explore Scenes, and extra support for 24 new languages in Google Translate.
At Google’s annual developer conference, I/O 2022, the search giant made a batch of exciting new announcements for its products and services, including adding 24 new languages to Google Translate using new machine learning technology. Moreover to this, a new Google Wallet has also been announced which will allow users to store important documents, metro cards, etc. and new search features. Here’s a look at some interesting announcements from the conference.
Google Translate: Support 24 new languages
Google Translate has added 24 new languages to its translation service, bringing the number of languages it supports to a complete of 133. Among these are the 24 newly added languages.
The addition of these new languages also provides a technical milestone for Google Translate since these are the first languages added using Zero-Shot Machine Translation.
This means that Google can translate directly between language pairs that are not visible in training, and translate from one language to another without ever seeing an example. Google said the technology isn’t perfect yet.
Here is a total list of the new languages now available in Google Translate:
Assamese: used by about 25 million people in northeastern India
Aymara: used by about two million people in Bolivia, Chile and Peru
Bambara: It is used by about 14 million people in Mali
Bhojpuri: used by about 50 million people in northern India, Nepal and Fiji
Dhivehi: It is used by about 300,000 people in the Maldives
Dojri: It is used by about three million people in North India
Ewi: It is used by about seven million people in Ghana and Togo
Guaraní: used by about seven million people in Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil
Ilocano: used by about 10 million people in the northern Philippines
Konkani: It is used by about two million people in central India
Krio: It is used by about four million people in Sierra Leone
Kurdish (Sorani): It is used by about eight million people, most of them in Iraq
Lingala: It is used by about 45 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, and the Republic of South Sudan.
Luganda: It is used by about 20 million people in Uganda and Rwanda
Maithili: It is used by about 34 million people in North India
Meiteilon (Manipuri): used by about two million people in northeastern India
Mizo: used by about 830,000 people in northeastern India
Oromo: It is used by about 37 million people in Ethiopia and Kenya
Quechua: used by about 10 million people in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and neighboring countries
Sanskrit: used by about 20,000 people in India
Speedy: It is used by about 14 million people in South Africa
Tigrinya: used by about eight million people in Eritrea and Ethiopia
Tsonga: used by about seven million people in Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe
TUI: It is used by about 11 million people in Ghana
Google Multisearch
Google recently launched multiple search on the Google app, allowing users to search using images and text at the same time in an effort to try to simulate the experience you had when you point something and ask your friends about it. Users will be able to use a photo or screenshot and add “Near Me” to see options for local restaurants or retailers that have clothing, household goods, food, etc. in the image. Multiple search is available as a beta feature in English in the US, but Google has not yet said when it will be rolled out to all users.
Explore the scene with Google Lens
Currently, Google Lens is able to recognize the captured objects in a single frame but one cannot yet search for information about an entire scene in front of them. Google says that in the future, a user will be able to use multiple search to pan the camera while using Google Lens to instantly get insights into multiple objects in a wider scene. The company says this will be a powerful breakthrough in the capabilities of devices to observe and understand the world as we do.
Google Wallet: Store essentials like car keys and vaccination records
Google announced the launch of a new Google Wallet that aims to standardize the way users save and access important items such as payment cards, tickets, boarding passes, student IDs, etc. The company will launch a Google Wallet on Wear OS, starting with support for payment cards.
Google also said it has partnered with several partners in the United States and other countries to cause digital licenses and identifiers to the Google Wallet this year. The company is also adding seamless integrations for other apps. For example, whether a transit card (such as a metro card) is added to your wallet, your card and balance will automatically appear on Google Maps.
Talk to Google Assistant on the Nest Hub Max by looking at the screen
According to The Verge, the latest update to the Nest Hub Max will allow users to use the Google Assistant without having to say “Ok Google” or “Hey Google.” The new feature called “Look and Talk” will allow users to look at the screen of the Nest Hub Max and just talk about their search queries without any other voice prompt.
New multi-device features
During the Google I/O 2022 conference, Google also announced new features aimed at creating a smoother multi-device experience. At CES 2022 this year, the company previewed several multi-device experiences such as expanding the Phone Hub on a Chromebook to allow access to all messaging apps on an Android phone. The wide spread of this feature means that users can stream their phones to their laptops to send and reply to messages, view conversation history and run messaging apps from their laptops. The company is also making it easier to set up and pair devices, while expanding Fast Twosome support for more devices, including built-in support for Matter on Android.
