Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
Google is constantly pushing the boundaries of AI in its Phone app, and the new Voice Translate feature on the Pixel 10 series is one of its most ambitious attempts yet. The idea is to break down language barriers in real time and make phone conversations smoother when you and the person on the other end speak completely different languages. What’s even more fascinating is that Voice Translate attempts to mimic the voice of the speakers in order to make conversations sound more natural. I decided to test out this sorcery for myself, translating calls between English and Hindi (my mother tongue), and came away with a mix of awe, amusement, and a few headaches.
What is Voice Translate on Pixel 10?
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
You might remember Google I/O earlier this year, when the company introduced Speech Translation for Google Meet. Voice Translate is essentially that technology brought to your phone, specifically, the Pixel 10 series.
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Instead of just converting words, Voice Translate attempts to recreate the speaker’s voice in the translated language. In theory, this means the person on the other end hears your voice speaking their language, and you hear their voice in yours. It’s like magic, until it’s not.
The feature is built into the Google Phone app, and supports English plus ten other languages: French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. You don’t need an internet connection to actually translate once the language packs are downloaded, although downloading them obviously requires Wi-Fi or mobile data. One limitation to keep in mind is that you can only select one language for yourself, which can feel restrictive if you are multilingual and switch languages often.
How it works
To use Voice Translate on your Pixel 10, you have to enable it from the Phone app’s call assist settings. You pick your language, download the necessary modules, and then make a call. From there, the AI listens, translates, and outputs your voice as well as the speaker’s voice in your target language.
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