Google Translate now recognizes handwriting in 13 more languages

If you’re an Android user traveling to the Middle East or southern Asia, you’ll likely want to grab a just-released update to Google Translate. The new app expands on a recent iOS upgrade with handwriting recognition for 13 extra languages that mostly come from the above two regions; you can now write in Arabic and Persian as well as numerous Indian dialects.

The Google update fairy is making her rounds today, and one app to feel the effect of her wand is Google Translate. The new features are pretty straightforward, but for many of you, that won’t make this release any less exciting. Translate now supports handwriting in thirteen new languages. Instead of typing in characters, you can now scribble away and watch as Google recognizes your characters in Arabic, Bosnian, Cebuano, Gujarati, Hmong, Kannada, Maltese, Mongolian, Persian, Punjabi, Somali, Tamil, and Telugu.