Free Word Lens App from Google

Word Lens, an app that Google purchased last month and is currently offering for free on both iPhone and Android platforms, has the cool ability to "look" at a sign in Russian, German, Spanish, French, Italian, or Portuguese and translate it on screen, as you're walking along, probably lost, in a foreign city where you don't know the language (provided its signs are written in any of those six languages.)

Best of all, it doesn't require a connection!

It does have trouble doing script. And, like Google translate, it leaves a lot to be desired, but when you're staring at Cyrillic characters completely lost, it could come in handy.  . . .  in some cases.

I tried it out on a few Russian signs online.

Pictures help, no?

So, here's the first one I screen shot with the app to see what it translated.

Other words that flashed in place of these: Ordinary / Sharply Feet /Torn / Rotor)

Tigers was pretty much a giveaway, no? But I couldn't keep it on the screen long enough to screen shot it.

The word after "tigers" that came up quickly and then disappeared, varyied between Next / Rank /Series

I'm hoping this was in a zoo and not on the street corner.

This one is a bit more concerning... I'm not too sure about whatever I'm supposed to be doing in an emergency here.

Okay, here I would at least have some idea that this wasn't the restaurant I was looking for:

Fourth try:

well, that was just maddeningly unhelpful.

Fifth sign looked kind of similar, so I gave it a shot.

I'm guessing Stump Life isn't as cool as Thug Life?

I gave up after the sixth. The most interesting looking word on the sign had zero suggestions. I'll never know how dangerous that (unknown) limited room might have been.