OpenAI quietly launches ChatGPT Translate to rival Google Translate with tone-aware features

OpenAI quietly rolls out a dedicated ChatGPT translation tool

OpenAI has debuted a dedicated ChatGPT-powered translation tool. While folks have been using the main chatbot for translation for some time, you can now find ChatGPT Translate on its own webpage, as Android Authority spotted. The tool can translate text, voice inputs and images into more than 50 languages in seconds, OpenAI says. There's an automatic language detection function too. Most interestingly, ChatGPT Translate can rewrite the output to take various contexts and tones into account, much in the same way that more general text-generating AI tools can do. With a single tap, it can rewrite the translation into something "more fluent," for a business formal audience, to make it more child-friendly or for academic purposes. The tool's webpage says ChatGPT Translate understands "tone, idioms and context." While those tone and context considerations are intriguing, ChatGPT Translate is a little underbaked compared with the likes of Google Translate -- which has been around for decades and just got its own Gemini-based makeover with better support for understanding idioms and slang. The desktop version of ChatGPT Translate does not yet allow for voice inputs, though the mobile one does, as Android Authority notes. Despite claims that ChatGPT can translate text in an image, there's currently no way to upload one to the tool. There's no website, document or handwriting translation support as yet either. Perhaps most crucially, ChatGPT Translate lives on a webpage right now and there's no dedicated app. So using it offline appears to be out of the question as things stand. No app with on-device translation support could make ChatGPT Translate a no-go for travelers in rural areas with no Internet access. There's no support for translating real-time conversations as yet either. Google's Pixel 10, on the other hand, now supports voice translations for calls. It's not exactly clear when ChatGPT Translate debuted -- it arrived with zero fanfare from OpenAI. There's a snapshot of the webpage from November on The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine that looks just like the current one, but that may have simply been a case of OpenAI testing a live version of the tool.

OpenAI quietly launches ChatGPT Translate to take on Google Translate: How it is different

The tool currently lacks support for documents, images, and live conversations, areas where Google Translate still leads. OpenAI has quietly introduced a new standalone translation service called ChatGPT Translate, rivalling Google Translate. While translation has long been part of ChatGPT's capabilities, the new tool separates the function into a dedicated interface designed for quick, everyday use. When you open the site, the layout will feel familiar to users of existing translation platforms. ChatGPT Translate offers dual text boxes for input and output, automatic language detection, and support for translations across more than 50 languages. At a basic level, it delivers the core features users expect from a translation tool. However, OpenAI's ChatGPT Translate is a little different compared to rivals. The interface includes one-tap options that allow users to instantly refine the translated text. These prompts can rewrite the output to sound more natural, adopt a formal business tone, simplify the language for children, or tailor it for academic use. When the user selects any of these options, it seamlessly shifts the user into the main ChatGPT experience, where the translation can be further adjusted using generative AI. With the design, it seems the company wants to offer a flexible, context-aware process rather than a simple word-for-word conversion. And this AI first layer with focus on tone, audience and intent, makes it different from the rivals. However, the new platform still has some shortcomings. Despite references to image-based translation, the current version only supports plain text input on desktop. Mobile browser users can access voice input, but there is no support yet for documents, handwriting, websites or live conversations. Language coverage is also narrower compared to Google's offering. On the other hand, Google is currently expanding its translation capabilities. The recent updates powered by Gemini have improved the handling of idioms, slang and regional expressions, along with tests of real-time speech translation using headphones.