Google Translate is celebrating its 20th birthday, marking the occasion with something users have been requesting for a long time. Google is introducing pronunciation practice, which is now available on Android for English, Spanish, and Hindi in the US and India. No word yet on when it will expand to other regions or arrive on iOS.
Around a third of Google Translate’s mobile users already use the app to practice speaking and listening for real-world conversations, which makes this a genuinely useful addition.
How does Google Translate’s pronunciation practice feature work?
Once you have a translation, a new “Practice” button appears at the bottom of the app. When you tap on it, you will get two options. The “Listen” option lets you hear how native speakers actually say the words. The “Pronounce” option is where you can practice.
You speak the translated phrase and the AI listens, analyzes your speech in real time, and gives you instant feedback on where you went wrong. It then shows you a phonetic breakdown of how each word should actually sound. The phonetic spellings are written out in a way that gives you a chance at getting it right on the next attempt. The result is quite similar to how Duolingo handles pronunciation feedback in its language learning app.
Google Translate has been on a roll lately
Pronunciation practice is just the latest in a string of meaningful updates to Google Translate. The app recently gained the ability to decode idioms and local slang. So, phrases like “raining cats and dogs” now get translated by meaning rather than word-for-word.
iPhone users also recently got access to Live Translation through their headphones, a feature that was previously limited to Android. And now with pronunciation coaching added to the mix, Google Translate is quietly turning into one of the best language learning apps.