The Google Translate app just learned 20 new languages. With the addition of these new languages, the app designed for both iOS and Android now knows 27 languages.

Users performing translation functions on the app will be able to translate to and from English with Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, Hungarian, Indonesian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian, reports CNET. For the Hindi and Thai languages, users can perform one-way translations from English. 

These new languages are in addition to the languages that the Google Translate app already knew: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

The update will begin appearing in the app by the end of the week, although some users will not see it right away.

Google already offers translation on its own website and through its Chrome browser, but this app allows for on-the-go translation services. 

Google knows that Skype plans to offer translation services built right into the Skype app. Skype is expected to add translation to their app by the end of the summer. Both Google and Skype are facing the challenges of translating text and speech instantly and accurately. Accuracy is a challenge presented when computers are used for translators.

Google Translate offers three different ways to translate words. Users can type the text they want translated, speak it or even point their device's camera at a sign, book or other object with text on it. Google Translate doesn't even have to be connected to the Internet for visual translation. The camera translation feature supports up to a total of 37 languages.

Google wants everyone to be pleased with the Google Translate app, so it is addressing areas with slow networks.

"In many emerging markets, slow mobile networks can make it challenging to access many online tools -- so if you live in an area with unreliable mobile networks, our other update today is for you," Barak Turovsky, product lead for Google Translate, said in a blog post on Wednesday.