“Their English is as good as my French – which is non-existent,” he says. Adding to the language complexities: Other members of his family only speak Khmer. 

For years, apps and manual translations have filled the gap for Hoeun, but Live Translate, a feature on Google’s Pixel phones, has made communicating across languages (and continents) much easier. It automatically translates messages as they arrive on his device – not just text-based chats but also spoken words, interpreting live audio from one speaker to another – without a separate app.¹

“It’s life-changing for me,” Hoeun says. “We can text without having to switch in and out of different apps … and translate in no time.”

Even if you don’t have family in another country, the global, more connected nature of the world means you may find yourself needing to speak another language. That’s where Live Translate on Pixel phones comes in. Only speak French? This feature can help you chat with friends and family in Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, and 17 other languages. 

Don’t have an internet connection? No problem. Thanks to Pixel’s Google Tensor processor, Live Translate puts state-of-the-art speech recognition and language translation right in your pocket, no matter where you are or how strong your network is. 

On Pixel phones, Live Translate works across text, camera, videos, podcasts, phone calls, video calls, and audio messages. That means you can read text in another language by pointing the camera at a sign or a menu, or watch a video that isn’t in your native tongue with the Live Caption feature. 

Want to turn your spoken words into audio in another language? Or turn a friend’s responses into audio in your own? Google’s Live Translate can do both. Just put your Pixel in Interpreter Mode, and voila!

You can make the Live Translate process even more seamless with Pixel Buds. Let’s say you only speak English, but you’re ordering food in a restaurant in Mexico City. Put your headphones in Conversation Mode by pressing and holding one of the earbuds and then say, “Help me speak Spanish.” Press and hold the earbud again and start speaking in English. A window will pop up on your Pixel phone, allowing you to select Spanish as the language you want to translate. When the waiter or waitress comes by, tap and hold the microphone button, and your device will translate in real time right into your headphones.² Amazing, right?

Stacie Clymo knows just how helpful Live Translate can be. A leasing and resident manager at an apartment and townhouse community, she says the feature has improved communication with her tenants. “Our residents are often from outside the US, and some do not speak English fluently,” she says. 

Clymo likes to be able to get to know the people living in the community, but she doesn’t speak any of their languages. Live Translate streamlines her work and lets her talk freely with just about everyone, whether she’s making a phone call, speaking in person, or chatting over text.

“Once I got my Pixel, I started using Live Translate,” she says. “My residents tell me the translation is spot on.” 

Yasat Hoeun and Stacie Clymo are official Pixel Superfans, Google’s community for people who love Pixel products. Superfans gain access to private events, exclusive Q&As with Product and Engineering teams, limited edition merchandise, and other surprise perks. Interested in becoming a Superfan? Click here.