Google adds translation to Docs service

Google claims that Docs can translate full documents into 42 languages

Google has released a new translation feature for its Docs word processing service, allowing users to translate full documents into 42 different languages.

Among the options will be translation into English, Spanish, Italian, French, German and Japanese.

The company hopes that the new feature will allow users to share documents with those who speak different languages, and collaborate on projects across more than one language. The ability to work collaboratively on a single document has long been a selling point for the Google Apps suite.

Google has been integrating its translation tools into other online services, including the Gmail webmail platform.

However, while many online translation services are able to adequately interpret basic phrases and short quotes, the services have yet to prove accurate enough to convey larger documents or more complex sections.

Google admitted that its own translation service, launched in 2007, still needs improvement but that it is continuously working to improve its accuracy.