How to Translate Languages with Siri on iPhone and iPad

How to Translate Languages with Siri on iPhone and iPad

Whether youre a frequent traveler, simply learning a new language, or interacting with someone who speaks in a different language, Siri for iOS now has the fantastic ability to translate between languages on the fly. For example, you can ask Siri to say I need a taxi ride to the airport in French, and Siri will not only instantly translate that for you in written text, but also say it aloud. Essentially you can think of of Siri on iPhone or iPad as a digital translator that is always with you, and it works to translate between English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Try it out yourself, it works really well and is quite fast. Think of Siri like your personal translator, its super easy to use on iOS: Siri will instantly translate the phrase into the language specified.

The translation is immediately spoken aloud, and also written out in text on the phone. Additionally, there is a little play button next to the translation to play the spoken translation again, so you can easily repeat the translated phrase too.

You can also ask Siri How do you say (word or phrase) in (language). Siri will report back the phrase translated into the requested language. For examples of what you can say for Siri to translate, try saying or requesting things like the following: The key is to tell Siri specifically at the start of the command either to or ask , followed by the phrase and the language. If you simply tell Siri a phrase and then follow it up with in (language) it will not work properly. For example if Siri starts trying to search the web for something you asked, you didnt make the right request, or Siri interpreted you wrong, or youre speaking to it wrong. Not all major languages are supported yet with Siri translation, and currently Siri only can translate between English, French, Italian, German, and Mandarin Chinese, but its probable that other popular languages will debut in the future.

Notably absent are the other major global languages with hundreds of millions of speakers, like Portuguese, Bahasa, Hindi, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Punjabi, Korean, and others, but its quite likely translation capabilities for these other languages will arrive with future Siri updates and iOS versions.

If youre heading on vacation somewhere but arent quite fluent (or dont speak a lick) in the native tongue, Siri is suddenly your indispensable travel companion. Of course this new Siri translation capability will also be useful for learning foreign languages and just communicating with people who are speak foreign languages, and not just traveling. Surely there will be a handful of kids who discover Siri language translation has made their French homework much easier too And for those who are using this for educational purposes, dont forget you can also or , which may further help you to learn a foreign language by immersing yourself a bit further.

The only requirements for Siri translation is that the iPhone or iPad be running iOS 11 or later and has an active internet connection, either cellular or wi-fi. This means if youre abroad somewhere, you could grab a local SIM card and use your iPhone with you to translate anywhere you go, or use the translation ability anywhere there is wi-fi. However you use it, this is an undeniably convenient feature and a very welcome addition to iOS and Siri. Have fun and try it out yourself, its pretty great!