Google is taking a major step to make its Translate app more than just a quick word-conversion tool. The company has begun rolling out AI-powered language learning features, turning Translate into something closer to a full-fledged tutoring service.
The new feature, now in beta, creates personalized lessons that adapt to a user’s skill level and goals. For example, someone preparing for a holiday abroad could receive different lesson plans than a student gearing up to live with a host family. The app draws on Google’s Gemini AI models to craft exercises that range from practicing everyday phrases to handling professional or family conversations.
At launch, the service is limited: English speakers can practice Spanish and French, while Spanish, French, and Portuguese speakers can work on their English. Once users tap the new Practice button in the app, they can select their skill level and either describe their goal or choose a preset scenario. Translate then generates interactive lessons that can involve both speaking and listening.
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Matt Sheets, a Google product manager, said the exercises are designed to track daily progress and help users “build the skills you need to communicate in another language with confidence.” The approach mirrors some of what popular apps like Duolingo offer, but with Translate’s real-time AI capabilities woven in.
Google is also pushing further into real-time communication. A newly launched live translation feature now allows two people to converse naturally, even without sharing a common language. The tool captures speech, produces an AI-generated transcription, and plays back an audio translation in the listener’s language. It works in more than 70 languages—including Arabic, French, Hindi, Korean, Spanish, and Tamil—and is already available to users in the US, India, and Mexico.
Unlike the live translation feature on the Pixel 10, which mimics the speaker’s voice, the Translate app uses a generic AI-generated voice. Sheets noted, however, that Google is “experimenting with different options” for more natural-sounding results in the future.
This update marks one of Google’s boldest moves yet into language education technology, positioning Translate not just as a travel aid but as a direct competitor in the global AI-driven language learning market.
This expansion positions Google Translate in direct competition with Duolingo, the Pittsburgh-based company that has become a global leader in app-based language learning. Since its launch in 2011, Duolingo has grown to more than 100 million monthly active users across over 40 languages, combining gamification, AI-driven personalization, and daily practice streaks to dominate the language learning app space. It has also expanded into literacy and mathematics, but language remains its core strength, cementing its reputation as the world’s most downloaded education app.
Duolingo’s success has been built on its ability to adapt lessons to a user’s progress while keeping engagement high through rewards, streaks, and competitive leaderboards. Its gamified approach has made it particularly popular among younger learners and casual users who may not otherwise stick with traditional study methods. In 2021, the company went public on Nasdaq, underscoring its status as a rare success story in the edtech sector.
Google is effectively challenging Duolingo on its home turf by adding AI-driven lessons directly into Translate. Unlike Duolingo, which requires downloading a separate app, Google is leveraging the popularity of Translate—already installed on billions of Android and iOS devices worldwide—as a built-in gateway to learning. The integration with Google’s Gemini AI could also give Translate an edge in producing highly contextual, real-world scenarios that mirror the kinds of conversations people actually have.
The move sets the stage for a showdown between Duolingo and Google. While Duolingo’s gamification and brand recognition are unmatched, Google’s sheer reach, AI muscle, and integration into existing services could tilt the balance in its favor. The battle could redefine how people around the world approach language learning, shifting from playful apps to fully AI-assisted, real-time learning and translation ecosystems.