Google Translate is working on a new shortcut that allows users to conduct a web search for translated words or phrases.
The feature is likely part of version 9.7.102 of Google Translate and is in its early stages of development.
Multiple languages are currently supported, though the feature was manually enabled, suggesting it may not be widely available anytime soon.
We recently stumbled upon an under-development Google Translate feature that would let users practice a new language with the help of activities. As it turns out, the Android app could have another feature in the works — one that would let you conduct a quick web search for a word or sentence you’ve just translated.
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Thanks to a discovery by Android Authority contributor AssembleDebug, we’re learning about the potential inclusion of a new search button carrying the G logo, presumably for Google Search or the Google app. The feature wasn’t enabled by default and required some tinkering to appear. This suggests we’re still some distance away from seeing it go live for everyone, provided Google doesn’t pull the plug on its development.
This change appears to be part of Google Translate version 9.7.102, which also uncovered the new Practice feature we touched on earlier. As the video above shows, the search button/icon appears to the left of the copy button, situated near the translated word.
It works exactly as you would think. You tap the search icon, and it takes you to a Google Search results page for that particular phrase or word. Multiple languages are currently supported, with the site testing it with English-to-Arabic, as well as Awadhi and Simplified Chinese.
Additionally, the publication found strings within the app that suggest search results could open in either the default web browser or the Google app. Exactly how Google will decide this is currently unclear. Perhaps users will be given the option to choose between the Google app and their default web browser.
Away from this under-development feature, Google has also been working on incorporating conversational AI into the Translate app. Back in February, we learned about a new button to “Ask a follow-up” for a translated word or sentence. However, we haven’t heard much about this feature since then, though it’s visible in the video shared by Android Authority.
