Voice Translation: Talk to Anyone in Their Language

A voice translator listens, turns speech into text, translates it and reads the result aloud. Good apps do this in two directions, so two people can take turns speaking their own language.

The difference between a frustrating and a smooth conversation is mostly technique: short sentences, one speaker at a time, the phone between you, and a quiet spot when possible.

Start with the guides below to choose an app and to learn how to run a conversation that doesn’t stall.

Different situations call for different modes. Taking turns across a table suits a split-screen conversation mode; following a tour guide or a doctor’s explanation suits continuous live translation; a noisy street or a private conversation is easier with headphones, so only you hear the translation. AI Translator has all three: Dialog, Realtime and a Headphones mode for AirPods, plus AI Text Style when you need the translation to sound casual, businesslike or formal.