Listen to more languages in Google Translate for Android

Today we launched an update to Google Translate for Android that allows you to listen to translations in several more languages.

We’ve dramatically improved the quality of our spoken translations in over 15 languages, including Russian, Chinese and Portuguese, and added the ability to listen to three new languages: Japanese, Arabic and Korean. Text-to-speech is one of the most popular features of this mobile interface. Whether you’re learning how to say a foreign phrase, or trying to share information with someone in their language, simply tap the Speaker icon after doing a translation and you’ll hear the difference.

With today’s launch, Google Translate for Android supports translation between 58 languages and can speak translations in 24 languages. The application works on phones and tablets running Android 2.1 and above. To download Google Translate for Android, scan the QR code below, or visit us on the Android Market.

With Helicopter over the Japanese Nuclear Plant – scary apocalyptic scene

Helicopter video of Japan’s troubled Fukushima Nuclear plant from yesterday indicates how extensive the damage at the plant is from the earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent explosions.

According to reports, the video was shot about 32 hours ago by a Tokyo Electric Company employee in a Japanese Self-Defense Helicopter surveying the plant. The editors of the video highlight the Fukushima 4 nuclear reactor, which holds the spend fuel rods and looks absolutely destroyed.

It’s a rare up-close view of the plant we’re now only seeing from a long-range for safety reasons and it’s an extremely disheartening one.

An important update for SketchUp 8

Sometimes a haiku says it best:

new SketchUp version
shadows work much better now
farewell artifacts!

You’ll want to download today’s free update for SketchUp 8 as soon as possible. It contains (among a great many other things) fixes for for raster image export at high resolutions on Windows, and for the dreaded Shadow Bug. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of millions of modelers uncorking Champagne to celebrate. Believe me – we’re thrilled, too.

Here’s an overly-dramatic video that shows the Shadow Bug fix in living color.

The newest version of SketchUp 8 (free and Pro) is available today in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Traditional Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese. Stay tuned for Russian, Dutch and Simplified Chinese; they’re coming soon.

Here’s how to get the latest version of SketchUp 8:

Windows: Choose Help > Check for Update

Mac: Choose SketchUp > Check Web for Update

Please feel free to express your own euphoria in the form of a haiku in this post’s comments thread.