Google Translate is a pretty slick tool, and the way that it's integrated with Google Lens for quickly applying it to text in photos is inspired. The latest tweak to the system on Android brings that functionality front and center. Users on Pixel phones are seeing an extra "Translate" action item in the pop-up screenshot menu, allowing them to get to Google Lens even faster.

9to5Google spotted the change first, speculating that it's been activated with the release of a new version of Device Personalization Services. It's a real time-saver, especially on items outside the browser that Google doesn't automatically offer to translate. Without that direct button, you need to head into Google Photos, open the screenshot you just took, and use the Lens item on the toolbar, then tap "translate text." Taking the screenshot and tapping the button cuts all that down to half a second or so, assuming Google's image processing recognizes the text as a language that's something other than the user's default.

Left to right: initial page, screenshot pop-up with Translate button, going straight to Lens.

Once in the Lens Translate interface, all the usual tools are available to the user, including the option to copy the scanned text, download the active language for offline access, or open the image in the full Google Translate app. We've seen the new Translate button appear on recent Pixel phones, but not OnePlus phones or Lineage OS on Android 11, so it may be fairly limited in terms of rollout at the moment.