“Their English is as good as my French – which is nonexistent,” he says.

For years, apps and manual translations have filled the gap for Hoeun. But now, Live Translate on Google Pixel phones has made communicating across languages – and continents – much easier. Pixel’s Live Translate offers seamless translation for all the ways you communicate. It can translate calls while preserving the speaker’s natural voice for select language pairs, transcribe and translate messages during chats, and even interpret in-person conversations or translate menus using the camera across 49 languages.

When conversations are translated over the phone, it’s common to hear a generic, computerised voice instead of the person you’re actually talking to. This makes conversation feel stiff and impersonal. Voice Translate, a new on-device feature built exclusively for Pixel 10 phones, eliminates that disconnect by using the speaker’s natural voice.

Voice Translate uses Google’s AI to translate what the speaker is saying to the listener’s language while retaining the sound of the speaker’s voice. So the next time you call your Spanish-speaking grandmother, you can speak English, and she’ll hear your words translated into Spanish in a voice that’s still recognisably yours. And you’ll hear her familiar voice in English. It creates a more natural back-and-forth conversation, helping you connect with the people who matter most.

Even if you don’t have family in another country, you may find yourself needing to speak another language.

Say you’re chatting with a customer halfway across the world. Translate texts instantaneously in 23 languages, right in your chat app, without slowing down the conversation. It happens directly on your device, so your messages remain secure and private.

Live Translate has made it easier for Hoeun and his family to stay connected. When they text each other, their messages are translated upon receipt. Hoeun can even speak to his family in English on his Pixel phone, and it will translate his speech to French in his own voice.

“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.”

Whether you’re exploring a new city or reading a document in another language, you can use your Pixel Camera to translate menus, signs, documents, and product packaging with Google Lens. Simply aim your camera at the text and watch Pixel translate it.

Say your friend from Italy sends you a video of their favourite chef, but it’s in Italian. Luckily, you can translate captions into your native language in real time with Pixel’s Live Caption. It’s available in six languages, including Italian, and lets you follow along without missing a beat.

Live Translate is there to help with real-world interactions too. If you need to ask for directions while travelling, tell Google, “be my interpreter,” and it will do just that. It’s like having a personal translator in your pocket, ready to help you connect with anyone you meet.

Pixel Buds make Live Translate even better. Imagine you want to order food in a restaurant in Mexico City, but you only speak English. Press and hold one of your earbuds to enter Conversation Mode and then say, “Help me speak Spanish.” Press and hold the earbud again and start speaking. A window will pop up on your Pixel phone, allowing you to select Spanish as the language you want to translate to. When the server comes by, tap and hold the microphone button and your phone will translate into your earbuds as they speak².

Don’t have an internet connection on the road? No problem. Thanks to Pixel’s Tensor chip, both Conversation Mode and Google Lens are available offline. You’ll have state-of-the-art speech recognition and language translation no matter where you are or how strong your network is.

Stacie Clymo knows just how helpful Live Translate can be. A manager at an apartment and townhouse community, she says it’s 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 in person or 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.