New headset provides real-time translation audio removing language barriers during calls and live presentations.
Language barriers during conversations may soon become a thing of the past after Google unveiled a new headset device, which allows users to become instantly multilingual at the touch of a button.
The new “premium wireless headphones, ‘Google Pixel Buds, were unveiled at the firms annual showcase event at the SFJazz Center in San Francisco this week (October 4) and have been described as like having your own personal translator.
Pixel Buds, which cost $159, are designed to connect with Google’s AI powered personal assistant ‘Google Assistant’, which can be accessed by pressing down on the right ear phone.
Users then ask the Assistant (which uses machine learning to identify what is being asked) to translate what they are saying in one of 40 available language on the Google Translate services. The translation is instantly given to the receiver (or receivers) in the language they understand. Available languages include Finnish, Swedish, Spanish, Japanese, and Hungarian amongst others.
Google demonstrated the service on stage, with the English speaking presenter having a conversation with a colleague from Sweden.
The service opens considerable opportunities in the business world, removing language barriers during phone/conference calls or when presenting in person where language may be an issue.
‘It’s like you’ve got your own personal translator with you everywhere you go,’ Google said in a statement: ‘Say you’re in Little Italy, and you want to order your pasta like a pro. All you have to do is hold down on the right earbud and say, “Help me speak Italian.” As you talk, your Pixel phone’s speaker will play the translation in Italian out loud. When the waiter responds in Italian, you’ll hear the translation through your Pixel Buds. If you’re more of a sushi or French food fan, no need to worry—it works in 40 languages.’
The Google Pixel Bud wireless headphones are designed to work with the Pixel 2 phone. They can live translate speech in 40 languages and can provide 24 hours of usage in a single full charge.
