Google is rolling out a beta experience that lets you hear real-time translations in your headphones, the company announced on Friday. The tech giant is also bringing advanced Gemini capabilities to Google Translate and expanding its language-learning tools in the Translate app.
The new real-time headphone translations experience keeps each speaker’s tone, emphasis, and cadence intact, so it’s easier to follow the conversation and tell who’s saying what, Google says. The new capability essentially turns any pair of headphones into a real-time, one-way translation device.
“Whether you’re trying to have a conversation in a different language, listen to a speech or lecture while abroad, or watch a TV show or film in another language, you can now put in your headphones, open the Translate app, tap ‘Live translate’ and hear a real-time translation in your preferred language,” said Rose Yao, Google VP Product Management, Search Verticals, in the blog post.
The beta is rolling out now in the Translate app on Android in the U.S., Mexico, and India. The feature works with any pair of headphones and supports more than 70 languages.
The company plans to bring the capability to iOS and more countries in 2026.
As for the advanced Gemini capabilities coming to Translate, Google says they will enable smarter, more natural, and accurate text translations. They’ll also enable improved translations of phrases with more nuanced meanings, like slang, idioms, or local expressions.
For example, if you’re trying to translate an English idiom like “stealing my thunder,” you’ll now get a more accurate translation instead of a literal word-for-word translation, as Gemini will parse the context to capture what the idiom really means.
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This update is rolling out now in the U.S. and India, translating between English and nearly 20 languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and German. The update is available in the Translate app on Android, iOS, and on the web.
Google is also expanding its language learning tools to almost 20 new countries, including Germany, India, Sweden, and Taiwan. English speakers can now practice German, while Bengali, Mandarin Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, German, Hindi, Italian, Romanian, and Swedish speakers can practice English.
The tech giant is also adding improved feedback so you can get helpful tips based on your speaking practice.
Additionally, Google is adding a feature that tracks how many days in a row you’ve been learning, making it easier to see your progress and stay consistent. While the tools were already designed to take on Duolingo, this new feature brings the experience even closer to the popular language-learning app.
