These high-tech earbuds translate foreign languages in real time
Traveling is a wonderful experience. The world is full of so many places to explore, sights to see, foods to eat…and languages to completely baffle you. Nothing is quite so frustrating as arriving to your destination with absolutely no idea what anyone is saying (or how to say anything back to them).
But now you can become the ultimate world traveler with these new earbuds can translate languages in real time! The earbuds come from a collaboration between the app developers at iTranslate and the wireless earbud company Bragi. They were released just this week, and are already whipping up quite a frenzy among both jet setters and techies. The Dash Pro earbuds are fully wireless, and the company is calling them “the world’s first language translating ear computer.”
The earbuds can translate almost 40 different languages in real time, as long as they’re connected to the iTranslate app. They last for five hours on a single charge, and the charging case can re-up the earbuds five times before you need to plug the whole thing into an outlet.
There are two models of the Bragi Dash Pro. For $499, you can get a custom-molded version of the earbuds that are fitted specifically for your ears. This creates a tighter seal so you can hear music or podcasts better without the background noise. This is crucial if you have hearing problems (or just really like nice in-ear headphones). The classic version (that’s not fitted) is $329.
Now to be fair, this isn’t a perfect translator just yet. The earphones and the app are connected via bluetooth, which is notoriously finicky. And live translation works only if you’re connected to the internet, although offline functionality is definitely in the future.
It will be interesting to see how the earphones grow and change as the technology continues to improve. But for you first-generation users, at least you’ll be able to understand more than “How are you?” on your next overseas trip. Bon voyage!