Slate Live Translator Recorder is a live translator app for iPhone. It listens to a conversation and shows what people say as text, translated into your language, in 60+ languages. It runs on any iPhone with iOS 18 or later, without Apple Intelligence. Afterwards you keep the transcript, a summary and Ask AI.
Slate turns your iPhone into a conversation translator you read. To use it, open Slate and pick two languages: the one being spoken and the one you want to read. Slate translates live in 60+ languages. Then tap record. Words appear as they're spoken, with speakers labelled, and the translation sits right under the original. Slate keeps recording with the phone locked, with a Live Activity in the Dynamic Island. When you stop, Slate saves the transcript and writes a summary. You can ask it questions, then share it as text or PDF. Live translation in Slate works on any iPhone with iOS 18 or later and doesn't need Apple Intelligence. Slate shows the translation as text on your screen; nothing is spoken aloud.
Choose what's being spoken and what you want to read. Slate translates live in 60+ languages; see the full language list.
Words appear as they're spoken, with speakers labelled, and the translation sits right under the original. Slate keeps recording with the phone locked, with a Live Activity in the Dynamic Island.
When you stop, Slate saves the transcript and writes a summary. Ask it questions, then share it as text or PDF.
Slate saves the whole conversation, not just the translation, so you can come back to it later. When you stop recording, Slate keeps the original and the translation side by side, with speaker labels and timestamps on every line, and you can tap a line to hear how it was said. Slate also writes an AI summary with the key points and anything you need to act on, so you don't have to reread the whole transcript. With Ask AI, you ask a question and Slate answers from what was said. Large live captions help in a noisy station or with a quiet speaker. You can share the summary as text or a clean PDF, or find the conversation again with search. The notes shown here are examples.
Every line is saved with speaker labels and timestamps. Tap a line to hear how it was said.
El museo abre a las diez mañana.
¿Se pueden comprar las entradas allí?
The museum opens at ten tomorrow.
Can you buy the tickets there?
Key points and anything you need to act on, so you don't reread the whole transcript.
Straight down this road, then right at the second corner. The station is on the left.
Also mentionedAsk a question and Slate answers from what was said.
Big, readable text helps in a noisy station or with a quiet speaker.
…and the second stop is the museum,
which opens at ten tomorrow.
Send the summary as text or a clean PDF, or find it again with search.
To use Slate as a translator, you need an iPhone on iOS 18 or later and an internet connection for the translation. Live translation in Slate works on any device with iOS 18 or later, so you don't need a new iPhone. Slate doesn't need Apple Intelligence either, so it works on iPhones that can't run it. Slate can record without a connection, but transcription and translation need internet, so plan for data or Wi-Fi when you travel. Slate shows the translation as text on your screen, next to the original, and doesn't read it out loud. Slate is free to download, the free plan includes 100 minutes every month, and Slate translates live in 60+ languages. Here are the details, including what Slate doesn't do.
Live translation in Slate works on any device with iOS 18 or later. You don't need a new iPhone.
Slate doesn't need Apple Intelligence, so live translation works on iPhones that can't run it.
Slate can record without a connection. Transcription and translation need internet, so plan for data or Wi-Fi when you travel.
Slate shows the translation as text on your screen, next to the original. It doesn't read the translation out loud.
Two common cases: following people abroad, and learning from real conversations. The notes shown are examples.
Yes. Follow tours, ask for directions and talk with locals while Slate shows you the translation as they speak. Pick the language being spoken and the language you want to read, then tap record: Slate translates live in 60+ languages, with the original and the translation line by line. Large captions are easy to read in a noisy station. The conversation is saved as a transcript with a summary, so the address or the train time is still there later, and you can ask Slate about it. Slate runs on any iPhone with iOS 18 or later, without Apple Intelligence. Translation needs an internet connection, so plan for data or Wi-Fi. The translation is text on your screen, not spoken aloud.
Slate puts the original and the translation side by side while people speak. You hear how phrases are really used, then go back over the transcript at your own pace. In a conversation class or a chat with a native speaker, pick the language being spoken and the one you want to read, and Slate shows both, line by line, with speakers labelled. Afterwards, tap any line in the saved transcript to replay how it was said, and ask the AI to explain grammar or idioms from the lesson. Slate translates live in 60+ languages and transcribes recordings in 99. It works on any iPhone with iOS 18 or later, and the free plan includes 100 minutes every month.
Apple and Google both offer live conversation translation on iPhone, and each works differently from Slate. This table uses only what Apple and Google say on their own help pages, as of October 2, 2026.
| SlateApp Store app | Apple Translate appConversation [2] | Apple Live TranslationAirPods, Phone, FaceTime [1][3][6] | Google TranslateLive translate [4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How you get the translation | Text on screen: the original and the translation, with speaker labels | Translated text in chat bubbles; a face-to-face view gives each person their own side | AirPods: heard in your ears, with a transcript in the Translate app. Phone: spoken translation plus an on-screen transcription. FaceTime: translated live captions | Modes for listening with headphones, conversation (played out loud) and text only; a face-to-face mode splits the screen |
| Speaks the translation aloud | No, text only | Yes, tap to play or turn on automatic playback | Yes, in AirPods and in phone calls | Yes in conversation and listening modes; text-only mode plays no audio |
| What iPhone you need | Any iPhone with iOS 18 or later; Apple Intelligence not needed | No device requirement stated on the cited page | An Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone. With AirPods: iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16 models or later, plus supported AirPods | The latest version of the Translate app |
| Without internet | Records offline; transcription and translation need internet | Works for downloaded languages without a connection | Runs entirely on device once the languages are downloaded | Offline language downloads exist [5]; the live translate page doesn't say whether it works offline |
| Languages | 60+ live; 99 for recordings (list) | Supported languages vary; Apple points to its Feature Availability site | Not available in all regions or languages | 73 entries on the live translate language list, counting regional variants |
| After the conversation | Saved transcript, AI summary, Ask AI, share as text or PDF | Not described on the cited page | Not described on the cited pages | Not described on the cited page |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Slate only shows text. If you want it spoken aloud, or you'll often be without a connection, Apple's Translate app or Google Translate fits better.
Apple's Live Translation plays the translation in your AirPods and runs on device, but it needs an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.
Slate works on any iPhone with iOS 18 and saves the transcript, summary and Ask AI chat. It's free for 100 minutes a month; see pricing for Pro.
Features change; check the linked pages for the current state. Apple, iPhone, AirPods, FaceTime and Apple Intelligence are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Translate is a trademark of Google LLC. Slate is not affiliated with Apple or Google.
Yes. Slate listens through your iPhone's microphone and shows the conversation as text, translated live into the language you choose, in 60+ languages. It also saves the transcript and writes a summary when you stop.
No. Slate shows the translation as text on your screen, next to the original. Nothing is spoken aloud.
No. Slate can record a conversation offline, but it needs internet to translate it, so plan for data or Wi-Fi when you travel. What works offline in Slate.
No. Live translation in Slate works on any device with iOS 18 or later. It doesn't need Apple Intelligence.
Slate transcribes and translates live in 60+ languages, and transcribes recordings in 99. The languages page lists them all.
Slate is free to download, and the free plan includes 100 minutes every month. Slate Pro is for when you need more; see pricing.
Yes. Slate for Mac has the same live translation in 60+ languages and also records Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and Webex calls without a bot. See recording meetings on a Mac.
Yes. Tell people before you record a conversation to translate it, and follow the consent rules where you are. How to ask for recording consent.
Soniox runs Slate's live transcription and translation, and your recordings are encrypted in transit and at rest. How Slate handles your audio.
Download Slate free for iPhone and read your next conversation translated live, then keep the transcript and summary.
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