Google Translate has come a long way since its inception. On top of extensive translation tools to make your overseas travels that much smoother, the Translate app added a ‘Practice’ feature this year to help users learn new languages.
As one would expect, the selection of languages you could learn was fairly limited at launch. But that’s changing now, with Google adding two new languages for English speakers to learn: German and Portuguese. In the meantime, Bengali, German, Hindi, Italian, Dutch, Romanian, Swedish, and Chinese speakers can now learn English in their own languages (in addition to Spanish, French, and Portuguese).
According to Google’s support page, this language-learning experience is available to English speakers who want to learn Spanish and French, as well as to Spanish, French, and Portuguese speakers learning English (via Android Authority).
This indicates that Google has quietly added the new languages without updating its support page. Similarly, the list of supported countries is also missing some regions where this feature is currently live.
Overcoming a major shortcoming of the feature
While Translate’s practice feature is extremely useful for English speakers, it only supported French and Spanish when it first launched. But with German and Portuguese now added, in addition to letting more people learn English in their native language, thousands, if not more, around the world can now take advantage of Practice in the Translate app.
It’s worth pointing out that the Practice feature still carries the beta label, though it works perfectly well in all the supported languages. To get started, tap the Practice tab in the Google Translate app and “Get started.” Once you’ve determined what language you want to learn, you will be asked to choose your current proficiency level, with options including Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced.
There’s also a “Just starting” option for beginners with “limited knowledge of the language,” though it’s currently inaccessible. You can then set a learning goal by either writing your own in the prompt box or selecting one of the available options, as shown above.
The fact that the beta label is still attached to this feature suggests it’s not quite ready for prime time just yet. But given that it’s in a polished state right now, we wouldn’t be surprised if it leaves beta soon. Google is presumably waiting to add finishing touches (and more languages) to Practice while also enabling some missing features, like the Just starting option, to make language learning accessible to more users.
Have you tried Google Translate’s practice feature yet?
