Apple, Google, and Meta Pursue Universal Translator

The universal translator, a staple of science fiction from “Star Trek” to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” is edging closer to reality as tech giants race to bring real-time language translation to consumers.

Apple showcased its vision of this future during its recent iPhone event with a demonstration of the AirPods Pro 3’s new Live Translation feature. The video depicted an English-speaking tourist effortlessly purchasing flowers in a Spanish-speaking country, hearing “Today all the red carnations are 50% off” in her native tongue virtually simultaneously with the florist’s Spanish pronouncements.

While a key selling point for the new $250 AirPods Pro 3, which are slated to hit shelves next week, Apple’s Live Translation enters a burgeoning market. Competitors like Alphabet’s Google and Meta, parent of Facebook and Instagram, are also aggressively pursuing real-time translation capabilities, driven by advancements in generative AI since the emergence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022.

AirPods Pro 3 users will initially be able to translate French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish into English, with reciprocal translations occurring simultaneously within each user’s headphones during conversations. The feature will also roll out as an update to AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2. Notably, Live Translation will initially be unavailable in the European Union, reportedly due to regulatory concerns.

The translation feature is also deeply intertwined with Apple’s broader AI strategy, requiring a compatible iPhone capable of running Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI software suite. This integration signals Apple’s intention to weave AI capabilities tightly into its hardware ecosystem, potentially driving device upgrades.

“If we can actually use the AirPods for live translations, that’s a feature that would actually get people to upgrade,” noted an analyst, highlighting the potential for this feature to be a significant driver of consumer adoption.

The race to perfect real-time translation underscores a fundamental shift in the technology landscape, where AI is becoming capable of bridging communication gaps with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

However, Apple isn’t alone in this endeavor.

Over the past year, Google and Meta have each released hardware incorporating real-time translation capabilities, signaling a clear industry-wide push towards ubiquitous language translation.

Google’s Pixel 10 phone boasts “Voice Translate,” a feature that translates conversations during phone calls while attempting to preserve the speaker’s vocal inflections. In a live demonstration, Voice Translate successfully rendered a sentence from Jimmy Fallon into Spanish while retaining recognizable characteristics of the comedian’s voice – a capability that Apple’s Live Translation currently lacks.

Meta has integrated real-time translation into its Ray-Ban Meta glasses, enabling users to hear translations via the device’s speakers while transcribed responses are displayed on the user’s phone. With Meta expected to unveil the next generation of its smart glasses, further advancements in its translation features are anticipated.

OpenAI itself has also entered the fray, unveiling an intelligent voice assistant mode for ChatGPT with integrated translation capabilities. While ChatGPT is integrated with Apple’s Siri, it currently lacks voice-mode functionality. Furthermore, OpenAI is reportedly developing new hardware products in collaboration with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, suggesting a further expansion into the hardware translation space.

The rise of real-time translation also presents significant implications for the translation and interpretation industry itself. Academic research suggests that translators and interpreters represent the professional group most vulnerable to displacement by AI-powered translation services.

Over the past several years, dedicated translation devices have emerged, leveraging advancements in cellular connectivity and online translation services. These devices, often in the form of puck-like gadgets or specialized headphones, offer built-in translation capabilities at consumer-friendly price points.

“What I love about what Apple is doing is it really just illuminates the fact that how pressing of an issue this is,” says a representative from Pocketalk, a company specializing in dedicated translation devices. With Apple’s significant market share and potential for mass adoption, the entry of tech giants into this space is only going to increase consumer exposure.

Despite increased competition, manufacturers of dedicated translation devices argue that their expertise in linguistics and focus on accuracy will yield superior results compared to the bundled offerings found in smartphones.

“We actually hired linguists,” explains an executive at Vasco Electronics, another player in the dedicated translation market. “We combined the AI with with human input, and thanks to that, we were able to secure much higher accuracy throughout all the languages we offer.”

For those manufacturers, focused on Europe this represents a distinct advantage for Vasco Electronics, as Apple’s Live Translation will not be available for EU users at launch, a detail prominently displayed on Apple’s website.

While offering a glimpse into the future, the translation capabilities introduced by tech giants remain somewhat limited in scope. Apple’s Live Translation, for example, initially supports only 5 languages, while dedicated devices like Pocketalk offer support for a much broader range.

However, some companies also believe that dedicated devices such as Pocketalk transcend the travel applications as they have stronger encryption for situations like schools and hospitals.

“This isn’t about luxury tourism and travel,” Miller said. “This is about the intersection of language and friction, when a discussion needs to be had.”