Apple AirPods’ new live translation feature became available on September 15, 2025.
Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3, which retail for £219 ($249), come with a feature called Live Translation. To use this feature, one must have AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, or AirPods Pro 3 and an iPhone 15 Pro or later running iOS 26.
Currently, the languages available are English (both British English and American English), French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Later in 2025, Apple will add Italian, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese.
AirPods Pro 3 could be a game-changer
This feature could be a game-changer for international communication. This real-life Babel fish would make holidays abroad less daunting.
However; the technology raises an important question. Namely, is struggling with language not a big part of travelling abroad? Trying to communicate in a shop or asking for directions opens the gates to other forms of communication, such as eye contact, facial expressions, and hand gestures. Surely, this is all part of the travel experience. If we rely too heavily on our AirPods, are we going to lose these important skills?
In addition, making the effort to learn a bit of a language before and during a trip abroad provides a sense of achievement, as well as training the brain. A lot of English-speaking tourists already do not really bother to learn local languages because they assume locals will speak English. This attitude makes us less open to different cultures. Would this be enhanced if one could simply click a few buttons and feel like they are back in their home country?
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By GlobalDataA big part of learning is making mistakes. With new languages, this is especially true. We must acknowledge that we will make mistakes and struggle, but continue to try to communicate. This is the only way to progress and get better at said language.
Choosing the easy way out
If the option is there to just pick up our AirPods and save ourselves the embarrassment of attempting to speak a new language, we are most likely going to choose that easy way out. Always opting for the AirPods will not give us the opportunity to improve our language skills.
Phones can already be a mask to hide behind when in conversations. If you are on your phone, you can avoid eye contact with others. This creates a wall between people. Using this translation feature would ensure that phones are even more involved in our everyday conversations. Undoubtedly, the temptation to hide behind them will become even stronger.
