Google’s Crowdsource app lets you improve translations in seconds
Google is enlisting your help with the launch of an Android app called Crowdsource, that will allow them to improve its services like Google Translate, Google Search, and Google Maps. To help improve these services, users will perform short, 5-10 second tasks, including translation and translation validation, map translation validation, handwriting recognition, and image transcription.
This isn’t the first time that Google is relying on users to improve its services. Google Maps allows users to provide suggestions and edits and also offers the Local Guides program for Google Maps. It has also been possible to improve translations with Google Translate by contributing a better translation to the company. Google also has its Opinion Rewards app for Android that allows users to complete a short survey on a weekly basis.
However, unlike the Opinion Rewards app that provides survey-takers with Google Play credit, and the Local Guides program that allows users to upgrade their Google Drive storage (once they reach level four), the Crowdsource app doesn’t provide much incentive for helping the company.
The incentive for users of the new Crowdsource app, according to the app description, is the fact that by contributing “you’ve made the internet a better place for your community” and you get a trophy image in the app with your point tally. The lack of a better incentive may not sit well with some users, which is evident by some of the comments left by users in the Play Store.
For those of you that want to help Google, out of the goodness of your heart, the Android Crowdsource app is available for download from the Play Store.
Image via: Google
Since you’re here …
… We’d like to tell you about our mission and how you can help us fulfill it. SiliconANGLE Media Inc.’s business model is based on the intrinsic value of the content, not advertising. Unlike many online publications, we don’t have a paywall or run banner advertising, because we want to keep our journalism open, without influence or the need to chase traffic.The journalism, reporting and commentary on SiliconANGLE — along with live, unscripted video from our Silicon Valley studio and globe-trotting video teams at theCUBE — take a lot of hard work, time and money. Keeping the quality high requires the support of sponsors who are aligned with our vision of ad-free journalism content.
If you like the reporting, video interviews and other ad-free content here, please take a moment to check out a sample of the video content supported by our sponsors, tweet your support, and keep coming back to SiliconANGLE.