Translation that keeps up with the conversation
Real time means you are not waiting. Parlivon streams speech as it is spoken, shows the text while you talk, and plays the translated voice into the other person's ear — so the pace of the conversation stays human.
What we do to keep the delay down
Latency is the whole product. These are the specific things that shave seconds off a turn.
Streaming, not batching
Audio is sent as 16 kHz mono while you are still speaking, and partial transcripts arrive before you finish the sentence.
Warm-up on touch
The translation path is warmed the moment your finger touches the talk button, so the first word does not pay the connection cost.
A visible health indicator
A live connection and latency readout tells you when the network — not the app — is the problem, and the app adapts quality automatically on weak links.
A plan for no signal
When the connection dies entirely, downloaded phrasebooks with cached audio and show-to-someone cards keep the conversation going.
Three ways to translate in real time
Live voice conversation
Two-way speech translation with auto-routing, split-screen transcripts and shared earbuds so each person hears their own language.
Best for: talking with people
Camera translation
Point the phone at a sign, menu or label and read it in your language, with the text spoken aloud if you prefer.
Best for: reading the world
Chat translation
Type when it is too loud to speak. Every message shows in both languages, and a second phone can join by scanning a code.
Best for: noisy or precise moments
Pick the page that matches your situation
- Two-way conversation translator — talking with someone face to face
- Translation earbuds — using the earbuds you already own
- Camera translation — signs, menus and labels
- Offline mode — no data, no coverage
Real-time translation questions
How fast is it really?
Short turns typically come back in a couple of seconds on a decent connection. The in-app health indicator shows your current latency so you always know what to expect.
How many languages are supported?
66 languages for voice, chat and camera translation, including regional variants of English and French, plus 65 downloadable offline phrasebooks.
See all featuresDoes real-time translation need internet?
Yes — live speech and camera translation run on a server. Offline phrasebooks cover the situations where you have no data at all.
Offline modeCan I read the text while I am still speaking?
Yes. Partial transcripts stream into your side of the screen as you talk, so you can see what was picked up before the turn finishes.
What happens if the microphone fails mid-sentence?
Any text already captured is kept and the translation is finished from that partial transcript, so a dropped recording does not lose the turn.
Does it work on a weak connection?
Audio is streamed as 16 kHz mono and quality adapts on weak links. The in-app health indicator shows when the network rather than the app is the bottleneck.
Machine translation can be imperfect. Parlivon is a travel and everyday communication aid — do not rely on it for medical, legal, financial or emergency decisions.
Parlivon travels on your phone
Translation happens on the device in your pocket — set it up in about a minute.