Google Translate will now automatically switch keyboards to display the appropriate character set when using Gboard.
In a rather neat move, Google has begun rolling out an update to its Gboard keyboard that allows it to work more efficiently with the company’s wildly popular Translate app.
Google Translate allows you to enter in the text that needs to be translated in all of its variations. As a result, while it’s really valuable if you’re seeking for information on how to ask for something in a language you don’t understand, it may be time-consuming when trying to interpret a piece of text you’ve seen — for example, while trying to decipher a menu in another language.
It is not very useful to have your regular English keyboard and the 26 letters of the alphabet on hand when you are writing in a language that does not use the Latin alphabet, such as Greek or Hebrew.
The most recent versions of the apps are aware of this, and will automatically switch keyboards to compensate without you having to take any action on your part. After selecting Greek from the “translate from” drop-down menu, your keyboard will display characters from the Greek alphabet, ensuring that you know exactly what you’re getting when you order a moussaka from a restaurant in your area.
When you exit Translate, your Gboard will automatically revert to its original language; but, if you want to have it returned sooner, you may do it manually by pressing the Globe icon next to the space bar.
While this has been seen by a number of sites, it looks to be a phased roll out, with none of Tom’s Guide’s UK workers presently seeing the option on our versions of Gboard, which are still locked at version 11.4 at this time. Even those who own the flagship Pixel 6 smartphones have not yet received the available update.
This is a feature of Gboard 11.6 (beta) and Google Translate 6.33, according to Google, and you can find out what version number you have by going to Settings > Applications > See all apps. However, while it is possible to manually download updated APKs, we recommend that you wait for the official release, which should not be too far away.
The hope is that, similar to the automated translation provided by Pixel Buds, this will make being understood throughout the world a little bit simpler, despite the language difficulties that are unavoidable while travelling internationally.