Google Maps And Translation
The world has an endless supply of beauty to offer us but we have not repaid nature in a kind way. Global warming is not only destroying the resources we need to survive but also the things that make the earth beautiful. The Amazon fire destroyed such a beautiful place which was essential for the planet’s survival. Unfortunately, the big countries have failed to come together to think of a solution to save the planet we call home. All the efforts for the planet’s future so far have been made by concerned individuals and youngsters who don’t want the world to end.
But despite the way the nature is getting destroyed, there are still parts of the world that have remained unaffected. The biggest reason behind that is they are scarcely populated. All the places mostly untouched by humans have managed to thrive in a world that is slowly getting destroyed by the species that run it. Iceland is one of the places on earth that has managed to stay beautiful even after all these years. Although you may not find as much ice in the country as you would expect, it is still breathtakingly beautiful. Not to mention the frequent volcanic eruptions in the country that attract adventurous photographers and travelers alike.
But its beauty isn’t the only thing Iceland is known for. The difficult pronunciation of the Icelandic language is another thing that almost the whole world knows. However, that hasn’t stopped people from visiting this magical country that looks like it was pulled out of a fairy tale. Even if you look at one picture of Iceland’s landscape, you will want nothing more in life than to see it in person. But visiting the country is one thing, getting around once you are there is another thing entirely. You will need a guide to help you get from one place to another because roads are unpaved in certain regions of the country.
However, the biggest problem one can face in Iceland is pronouncing the name of the place you want to visit. Do you know how to say Reykjavík or Eyjafjallajökull? No, right? Well, then how are you going to ask someone to take you to Reykjavík if you can’t say the name? This problem is not specific to Iceland. You can go to any country in the world and not know how to say the name of the place you want to visit. You can try to show the name to someone on your phone but what if they don’t know the English alphabet and cannot read what you are trying to show them? This has been a problem for many travelers throughout the world. Sure, an interpreter can help but no one can afford to keep one with them at all times when they are in a foreign country.
Google Maps’ New Feature:
There are plenty of translation apps out there that help travelers in various ways. There are some designed specifically to help people when they are in a foreign country. They teach the etiquette of ordering food in a country or what to say when bidding someone farewell. Some of them can even teach you a few basic phrases of a language to help you get through your trip easily. However, what these apps don’t do is tell you how to pronounce the name of a city or place. They surely can’t cover all the cities of a country and therefore only help with how to ask for directions. There are some words you can mispronounce and still get the point across but that surely can’t work all the time, especially when your accent is different from that of the person you are talking to.
Google Maps has come up with a solution to this problem. Whenever a user is looking for a location outside of their country, they will see a speaker button next to it. When they tap it, Google Maps will say the name of the location out-loud. So, for instance if your phone’s default language is English and you looked up Eyjafjallajökull on the map, the speaker button will appear instantly. You can click it and hear the name for yourself or play it for the driver when you get in a cab. Both ways, it will help you to get to your location. Another useful aspect of this feature is that once you have heard the name of the location, the Maps will show you an option to open the Google Translate app, so if you want to continue your conversation with someone regarding the place you are going to, you can do that easily despite the language barrier.
This feature definitely won’t work for someone in the US if they look up an American city because your app knows that the default language is English so you can pronounce the name easily. Although the feature is only limited to fifty languages at the moment, the number is expected to rise in the future. Once travelers start giving their feedback about it, Google will realize how useful it is for people. So, the next time you are traveling to a foreign country and afraid of mispronouncing a place’s name, let Google Maps help you. You will save yourself from embarrassment and also look tech savvy to people for using your phone to pronounce a difficult word for you.
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