I'm Exploring an Alternative to Google Translate for Real Conversations
Over the years I've lived and worked in multiple countries.
One thing I noticed is that Google Translate is incredibly useful, but real conversations can still feel awkward.
The workflow usually looks like this:
- You type.
- They read.
- They type.
- You read.
Back and forth.
It works fine for translating a sentence or asking for directions.
But once you're trying to have a natural conversation with a local vendor, a landlord, a doctor, a taxi driver, or someone you've just met, it starts feeling slow and unnatural.
That's what led me to start experimenting with a new project:
TalkMate
The idea is simple.
Instead of typing and showing screens back and forth, you simply speak.
TalkMate listens and responds with voice.
The goal is to make conversations feel more like talking to a bilingual person than operating a translation tool.
What I'm testing
The current prototype focuses on:
- Voice-first interactions
- Multiple languages
- Real-time responses
- No typing required
- No copy-paste workflows
The experience should feel closer to a conversation than a translation app.
The challenge
After sharing the idea online, I received a lot of useful feedback.
The most common response was:
Why wouldn't I just use ChatGPT Voice, Gemini Live, or another AI assistant?
It's a fair question.
The technology itself is no longer the hard part.
The challenge is finding a problem that people genuinely want solved.
Current direction
Instead of positioning TalkMate as an AI companion, I'm exploring a more specific use case:
Talk to anyone, in any language.
That feels much closer to a real-world problem than simply "talking to AI."
Looking for feedback
If you travel, work internationally, or regularly interact with people who speak different languages:
Would you use a voice-first tool like this?
Or would existing tools already solve the problem for you?
I'm still in the validation phase and genuinely interested in hearing different perspectives.
Early access is available at:
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