Travelling abroad, communicating with international partners, recording medical voice notes... translating voice messages is needed in many situations. Between voice translation applications (apps), online translation platforms and the services of a professional translator, discover the solutions you need to translate voice messages, and their advantages and disadvantages.
Using Google Translate on your phone
Voice messages can be translated quickly and easily using the Google Translate smartphone app. This digital tool lets you translate content in any format, wherever you are, into more than 133 languages. The Google Translate app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for Android devices, and from the App Store for iOS devices. Once installed, simply open it to take advantage of its features.
The Google Translate interface is divided into two distinct areas: the first is dedicated to the source language, the one you wish to translate, and the second corresponds to the target language. To choose a language, simply click in each text box and enter the target language manually, or by dictating it into the phone's microphone.
Once you have selected the languages, all you need to do to obtain a voice translation is click on the microphone icon and speak into it. The app then automatically translates the speech instantly.
Translating voicemails with your phone
To translate voice messages using your phone, you first need to download a suitable app, available from the App Store or Google Play Store, depending on the device in question. Once you have recorded the voice file and shared it in your messaging app, you need to activate the app’s voice translation function to obtain a real-time translation or a written transcription.
Remember to activate the microphone on your phone and speak clearly into your phone for effective translation of your voice messages. You can translate the answer you receive on your voicemail using the same procedure.
You can opt for one of the many messaging apps on the market with voice translation functionality:
Slatch
The instant messaging app Slatch makes it easy to communicate in a variety of languages, whether by audio or video call, text, or voice message. It can be downloaded from the App Store (for iPhone) or the Google Play Store (for Android). Once you have registered with the app, all you need to do is start a new conversation with the person you are talking to. Once you've received the voice message, select it by highlighting it before translating it into the language of your choice.
Microsoft Translator
Microsoft Translator is also an effective tool for translating real-time conversations, such as voicemails. This app supports translation into the language of each user and has a desktop version, making it easy to translate texts quickly from a PC.
Chat Translator
Chat Translator is a translation app designed to translate voice chats on WhatsApp and other messaging apps (Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, etc.). It helps break down the language barrier so you can communicate easily with speakers of different foreign languages.
Translate AI: voice translator in the App Store
Translate AI is an app available on the App Store platform that offers functions for translating sentences and texts orally into different languages. It uses artificial intelligence technologies to provide efficient and accurate translations.
Using a professional translator
Although there are many digital solutions for translating audio messages, these tools often have limitations and cannot always guarantee high-quality translations. However, in certain contexts, the accuracy of voice message translation is a major issue. This is the case, for example, with voice messages produced by healthcare professionals, recordings of court proceedings or journalistic interviews.
The safest way to ensure the reliability of voice message translations is to use the services of a specialist professional translator. Thanks to their mastery of the language and terminology specific to the sector in question, they will be able to provide you with a translation of impeccable quality that is both accurate and fluent.
At Alphatrad, we offer voice message translation services for all types of business sectors (finance, legal, medical, sales, marketing, etc.) from professional translators in over 100 languages, from the most common to the rarest.
Voice message translation and data security
Some audio messages in foreign languages may contain personal information and sensitive data, such as medical or legal data or data covered by professional secrecy. Ensuring data security when translating voice messages is therefore crucial.
Here are a few tips to protect your personal data:
- Read the terms of use: before downloading a mobile voicemail translation app, be sure to read the user policy on managing confidentiality. This should stipulate that your voice data will not be used for commercial or unauthorised purposes.
- Check how voice data is handled: some machine translation tools store your voice messages and private data temporarily or permanently. Check that your data is encrypted and stored securely.
- Check that confidentiality is respected: opt for apps that protect privacy and guarantee that voice messages are not recorded, transmitted, or used for advertising or profiling purposes.
- Obtain informed consent: when translating voicemails from third parties, you must obtain their consent to the processing of their voice data and to comply strictly with local regulations on data protection and confidentiality.
- Keep your voicemail translation app up to date so that you have access to the latest security settings.
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FAQ on translation of voice messages
Voice messages can be translated using online apps or platforms. However, the accuracy of audio message translations can vary depending on the quality of voice recognition and different accents. Automatic voice translation is not always available for less common languages or complex idiomatic expressions. For the most accurate results, it is advisable to use the services of a professional translator.
The best free instant voice message translator depends on several factors, including:
- The languages to be translated (French, Arabic, English, German, Spanish, Dutch, etc.)
- The quality of voice recognition
- Optional features
- Ease of use
- The accuracy of the translation
There are several apps available for translating a conversation in real time and holding multilingual conversations, face-to-face or remotely: Chat Translator, Microsoft Translator and Slatch instant messaging are among the best-known examples.