Apple Debuts New Translate App in iOS 14 with Conversation Mode

Apple today revealed an all-new app in iOS 14 called Translate, which it says is designed for conversations in 11 different languages:

• Arabic
• Chinese
• English
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish

The company says, “Conversations across languages should feel natural and easy, and should have the ability to remain private.”

The new Translate app has a Conversation mode when you turn your iPhone to landscape orientation. Once you tap the mic icon and say something, “Automatic language detection transcribes the original and translated text on the appropriate sides of the screen, followed by translated audio.”

Apple says this all takes place with “advanced on-device machine learning” and the Apple Neural Engine for natural-sounding conversations. Languages can be downloaded and translations are private with on-device mode, which does not require a data connection. A very handy tool for when you’re travelling (which who knows will ever happen again).