Copyright zdnet
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Apple launched Live Translation in October. It uses AI to translate audio and texts in real-time. The feature is now available in more languages. AI models are particularly adept at understanding human language, including its context, syntax, and nuances, making them extremely proficient at translating between different languages. Apple leveraged these capabilities to create its own Live Translation feature, including unique capabilities when paired with AirPods. This week, Apple announced that its Live Translation feature is expanding to four additional languages across its ecosystem, bringing the total number of languages supported to 12. Despite the upgrade and making the feature available to a whole new subset of users, the experience remains free for all users across FaceTime, phone calls, Messages, Safari, and more. Also: Is your business ready for a deepfake attack? 4 steps to take before it's too late "What I find is that some of the other products that are out there, they don't always have the language mixes right," Ron Huang, Vice President of Sensing and Connectivity at Apple, told ZDNET. "Now, with our translation to the Asian languages, we think it'll be really helpful for those customers as well." I talked to Apple to learn a bit more about what makes the feature work so well and why it is worth giving it a try. Four new languages As of this week, the full list of languages supported by Live Translation in Messages now include Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, Turkish, and Vietnamese, in addition to the languages that were already available, including English (UK, US), Dutch, French (France), German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), and Turkish. In the Messages app, the Live Translation feature enables users to view real-time translations of their text as they type a message, once the message is sent, and when a message is received, even in group chats, allowing users to see the translation throughout the entire message creation journey. "The cool thing is, when you're responding, if you have some knowledge of the other language, but you're not perfectly fluent, you can actually see what you're typing translated into the other language with each keystroke. And so it allows you to cross-reference the message in both languages before you hit send," said Areeba Kamala, Senior Manager for AIML Product Marketing. Live Translation on AirPods, iPhone, and FaceTime, which present the translation to users both in the form of audio as well as text captions which can be seen on the device screen, are now available in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional Mandarin), Italian, Japanese and Korean, in addition to the already available English (UK, US), French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain). Also: Is an iPad Pro still worth it in 2025? I tested the M5 model for weeks, and here's my advice The feature on AirPods is particularly helpful for users because it not only allows people to translate live communication with others, but also anything happening in the world around them. For example, if you are watching TV in another language, you can also wear your AirPods for live translation. "I'm super stoked because my wife got into KPop quite a bit, and she's always watching these different K-Pop interviews, and I cannot wait for her to try out, because this works for in-person conversations, but also great when just watching TV," said Huang. Live Translation on the AirPods was designed to allow users to stay present while getting the translation they need. For example, to reduce the amount of information being presented to you at once, the AirPods automatically increase ANC to a certain degree, allowing you to still hear the person talking to you, albeit at a lower volume, which enables you to better hear the live translation. Huang also explained that the AirPods can pick up audio from someone standing a couple of feet away by using a revamped computational audio processing algorithm that utilizes far-field microphone characteristics to capture voices, as well as automatically alternating between the iPhone mic and AirPod mic seamlessly to pick up the best audio. Why use Apple's Live Translation? Beyond the features described above, Apple's Live Translation also has other advantages. For example, as long as you own a compatible device, you can take advantage of the Live Translation even if the person you are communicating with has a non-compatible device, such as an Android or an older iPhone. The feature is also free, eliminating the need for any additional subscriptions. "The last thing I want to do in these situations is ask someone what model of phone they have ... or require a subscription for these different conversations," said Kamala. Also: Google's AI mode agents can snag event tickets for you now – here's how Additionally, by leveraging Apple's on-device models, Apple was able to make Live Translations run entirely on-device. This not only provides reassurance that your conversations remain as secure as possible by circumventing the cloud, but also enables quicker processing for on-the-go needs. You also don't have to worry about the quality of the cellular or Wi-Fi connection where you are to get translations done. "When you're traveling, of course, sometimes you don't have international roaming, or sometimes you are on spotty Wi-Fi coverage in hotels ... so by running entirely on the device, it works anywhere you are as quickly as possible," said Huang. How to access Live Translation As long as you have a compatible device that can run the latest version of iOS with Apple Intelligence turned on, which is the iPhone 15 Pro or later, you can access this feature for free. To access Live Translation with AirPods, you need to pair AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3 paired with an Apple Intelligence-compatible phone. Also: You can try OpenAI's popular Sora video app on Android and iOS now - for free The process for accessing Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime, phone calls, and AirPods varies slightly for each, and you can find Apple's step-by-step instructions here. Although Live Translation is already quite capable, Apple explained to ZDNET how it plans to further develop it with expanded features. "If you think through all the different ways ... people communicate in person, whether it's in one-on-one conversations or group conversations ... I think each of these are going to be inspirations for us to keep on improving all of these features to make it even better for all the different scenarios," added Huang.
