If you like to roll the dice when you communicate, then I’ve got a product for you. Google’s Pixel Buds help with real-time interpretation using Google Translate.

I am happy to admit it outloud: Google Translate has gotten much better. That said, it still isn’t where it needs to be for translating important documents that someone’s life, money or reputation may depend on. (Don’t believe it? See our “Translators’ Hall of Shame” series; we cite plenty of real-life examples where Google Translate and others have gotten people into heaps of trouble.) Yet, Google Translate can work great in a pinch if you just need to get the general gist of something that’s been written in a language you don’t know.

Interpretation for spoken speech is a whole different ball game though. Or is it? The Google Translate App has a conversation feature, but background noise and starting or stopping translation at the right moment can be a problem, especially with two or more people huddled over one smartphone.

The Pixel Buds are a set of $159 earphones that help divvy up Google Translate’s work a little more comfortably. Using the Google Translate app for iOS or Android, one person wears the earphones and the other person holds the phone. The person with the earphones puts a finger on the right earphone when they are speaking to help signal when the app should start or stop translating.

The current design of the earphones isn’t very snazzy, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find them popping up at a vacation near you. For any professional, official or important conversation, however, I still earnestly recommend a more professional solution.

Real-Time Interpretation That Won’t Get You Into Trouble

Responsive Translation offers high-quality Telephone Interpreting Services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our excellent human interpreters provide on-demand real-time interpretation in more than 200 languages.

If you work in a demanding industry like healthcare, government or financial services, we also have qualified interpreters who are knowledgeable about your industry.

If you’d like to know more about our high-quality telephone interpreting services, please get in touch at 212-818-1102 ext 208 or [email protected].