Google Translate now turns your headphones into live translators on Android and iOS

Google Translate can now turn a standard pair of headphones into a live translation tool. The feature was first unveiled in December, but it is only arriving in France this week. It is available on both Android and iOS.

Google Translate live translation for any headphones

Last year, Apple introduced its AirPods Pro 3. Among the features that launched with those earbuds (in certain countries) was live translation, designed to reduce language barriers by letting the wearer hear what the other person is saying in a language they understand.

Google is now offering a broadly similar option without restricting it to a particular brand of earbuds. Through an update to the Google Translate app, anyone who connects headphones can access real-time translation.

Rollout to new countries across Europe, including the United Kingdom

Google’s live translation supports dozens of languages and was announced back in December. Initially, it was limited to a small number of countries, including the United States. This week, however, Google confirmed the feature is expanding to additional markets, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

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The feature is also coming to iPhone

When Google first announced live translation in December, it was only available on Android handsets. The company has now also confirmed it is coming to iPhones. That means if you use an iPhone with headphones that are not compatible AirPods, you can still use live translation via the Google Translate app.

In its December announcement, Google explained that its translation system tries to “preserve the tone, emphasis and rhythm of each speaker in order to create more natural translations and make it easier to understand who said what”. The company also said live translation can be used when speaking to someone, when listening to a speech, or even when watching television.

By bringing this translation feature to the two main mobile operating systems and making it work with any headphones, regardless of brand, Google should make things much easier for travellers in particular.