Google Assistant Will Now be Able to Read in 42 Languages

Google is currently showcasing the new feature for its Google Assistant on Android phones. The new feature makes it a more efficient super screen reader.

When a user gives a prompt saying, “Hey Google, read this,” it will find the main text on whatever webpage or article you’re looking at and read it out loud to you.

Google says it has improved the Assistant’s ability to parse sentences and therefore speak them with more natural, human-sounding cadences.

One of the most impressive features of the improved Google Assistant is that it can read out to a user in a different language as it has 42 of them. A user can hear an example of how the voice tries to sound more natural by parsing sentence patterns in the promo video Google has made for the feature:

Given the permission to do so, the Google Assistant has always been able to parse what’s on a user’s screen.

The feature was launched in 2015 even before the Assistant even existed and called “Now on Tap.” Primarily, it was designed to let you take Google-based actions like searching based on what’s on your screen. It launched with much fanfare, but since then the feature hasn’t gotten prime placement in Google’s UI; it’s been reduced to a suggested action button when you bring up the Google Assistant.

Google says it’s also looking into ways to auto-scroll webpages as the Assistant reads, as well as automatically highlight text.

The feature is just a preview however, Google is able to use the Assistant to translate on the fly in more real-world contexts. Google calls it “interpreter mode” because it takes a traditional Google Home Smart Display and sets it to always be ready to translate by default so that it can be used at places like hotel desks. It’s available on phones now, but the feature originally shipped for smart displays.

According to Google, the interpreter mode will be incorporated to serve its partners, including JFK Airport Terminal 4, some airport lounges, banks, and several new hotels.