Google Translate's New AI-Powered Practice Feature: A Potential Rival to Duolingo

Here's How Google Translate Might Take on Duolingo

Over the last two decades, Google Translate has been a go-to tool for many to understand words and phrases, but soon, it may also be able to teach you a language from scratch. Google has yet to announce this feature, but Android Authority was able to activate a long-rumored Practice feature hidden within the latest version of the app. The publication first reported on the existence of this tool in April, but this is the first time it has been seen in action. The site played around with elements of the AI-led features within Translate, captured in the screen recording below. Google's messaging in the app says the features are in beta. Screenshots show that Google Translate will use AI to create personalized lessons. You can select the language you want to learn. English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese are currently supported, but only French and Spanish are working, according to Android Authority. You're then asked whether you have Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced levels of knowledge, and it shows you scenarios to choose from for practice, such as work basics or ways to describe a job. You can also put together your own scenarios with a prompt. This may be helpful if you're about to go on a trip, and you want a tailored crash course in a language. For example, you could specify that you're going skiing, so you want to learn terminology before you hit the slopes. After you've completed a lesson, you're asked whether you want to tweak the difficulty for future lessons to make it easier or harder. Android Authority also noticed that the app mentions a "trial period," which suggests it will launch for free but may one day cost money, perhaps as part of a top-end Google Gemini package. (As ever with leaked information, take this with a grain of salt. There's no guarantee Google will ever release it.) In April, Google began testing other language-learning tools using AI within its Labs projects, but none of these were affiliated with the official Translate apps. They were smaller games using AI to test your knowledge of a language, rather than teaching you from scratch. AI appears to have a major role in the future of language learning. Earlier this year, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn announced a move toward becoming an "AI-first" company. At the time, he said the company planned to eliminate all contract workers to focus on AI-generated content. After backlash from Duolingo users, von Ahn reversed his stance. He has since told the Financial Times he didn't "expect the amount of blowback." Like what you're reading? Don't miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag as a preferred source on Google.

We went hands-on with Google Translate's Duolingo rival ahead of its launch (APK teardown)

The feature currently lets you practice French or Spanish in a variety of preset scenarios, but you can also create your own lessons. Earlier this year, we discovered evidence that Google was working on a new Practice feature in Google Translate. This would allow people to (surprise) practice a desired language. Now, we've managed to activate the feature and go hands-on with it. Telegram user Mehrad spotted the Practice option in their Google Translate app. We weren't able to see the feature initially, but we managed to enable it after digging into the latest version of the app (version 9.14.71.788519780.3-release). Check out the screenshots below and the video above. The first screen confirms that the Practice feature is in beta and creates personalized lessons. However, the screen also mentions that this is a "trial period" with "early and unlimited access." This suggests that Google will eventually charge people to use the feature. It's unclear whether this would be a standalone fee or bundled in with the company's AI subscriptions. The second screenshot also confirms that you can display the UI language in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. However, you can only practice in French or Spanish right now. Once you've picked your desired language to practice, you can then choose your level of proficiency (Just Starting, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced). However, the Just Starting level is greyed out at the moment. Google Translate then lets you choose from a variety of scenarios to practice (see the fourth and fifth screenshots). The listed scenarios include food and drink, greetings and introductions, and asking for directions. These scenarios are further divided into subtopics. For example, "asking for directions" includes subtopics like getting lost near the hotel, finding a specific restaurant, and locating the train station. Not happy with these scenarios? Then you can tap Create your own practice scenario to come up with a brand-new plan. You can simply use a text prompt to describe your custom scenario, although Google Translate also offers suggestions like "Ask for a vegetarian food option" and "Passing immigration." You can also choose whether this scenario is a listening or speaking session. Finally, we spotted a settings page where you can change your proficiency level and language after the fact. This page also has an option to delete your practice history. Either way, our teardown shows that Google's take on Duolingo is effectively ready for release. Furthermore, the fact that a Telegram user spotted this in their app suggests that Google is already testing this in a limited fashion.