New Google Labs experiments help you learn new languages in 'bite-sized' lessons

My wife and I like to travel to other countries, but we always face a familiar obstacle — how to learn the language well enough to converse with people. We’ve tried taking language lessons, yet we invariably run into situations where we can’t find the right words to express ourselves. Now, Google has launched a trio of translation tools that could help overcome this obstacle.

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Launched on Tuesday as Google Labs experiments, the “Little Language Lessons” are designed to assist you in specific situations, especially when you’re traveling in a foreign country. The three tools are powered by Google’s Gemini AI to provide the right words and phrases just when you need them.

Tiny Lesson

First up is experiment No. 1, known as Tiny Lesson. This one promises to provide you with relevant vocabulary, phrases, and grammar tips for any situation. After selecting the target language, describe the action or purpose for which you want help. For example, you might submit a phrase like “finding the restroom,” “taking a taxi,” or “I need a doctor.”

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In response, Google shows translations for each of the main words in the phrase, the entire phrase, and several variations. When I submitted the phrase “I need a doctor,” it translated the word “doctor,” the phrase itself, and alternate phrases like “I don’t feel well” and “Where is the nearest hospital?” You’ll not only see the translations but also hear them by selecting the audio icon.

Google also provides tips on how to express yourself with your phrase in mind. You’ll learn which words and phrases to use and which ones to avoid. The goal is to figure out how to best express yourself to ensure that you’re understood.

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For this skill, you’re able to choose among a variety of languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish. You can also select specific regions, such as the UK or Australia for English, Hong Kong or Taiwan for Chinese, and France or Canada for French.

Slang Hang

Next on the list is experiment No. 2, called Slang Hang. Here, the lesson tries to teach you common expressions, idioms, and regional slang based on an AI-generated conversation between native speakers. For this, choose the target language and specific dialect, if necessary.

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In response, the tool describes a scenario involving two people. The AI then shows you what one person says in reaction to the scene. Each time you press the spacebar or tap a link on the page, the conversation bounces from one person to the other. And each piece of dialogue contains slang and popular expressions to help you learn the local idioms.

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Here, you can also select the audio icon to hear each person speak. This tool supports Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Word Cam

Finally, experiment No. 3 is dubbed Word Cam. This one prompts you to snap a photo of your surroundings to learn how to translate items in the photo. On your phone, take a photo of an area with items you want to investigate.

The tool then identifies each item in the photo with the name in both the source and target languages. Tap a specific item in the picture, and Google describes it using different adjectives translated into the target language. Each word also includes an entire sentence that you can speak to another person about the item.

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As with the other tools, you’re able to listen to the translation of each word and sentence. Word Cam also handles the same languages supported by Tiny Lesson.

My experience

Each of the three tools seemed to deliver useful translations, at least as far as I can tell. Since I’m not fluent in any of the languages, I couldn’t vouch for the accuracy of the translations.

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On the downside, I did run into a persistent glitch. Clicking or tapping the audio icon to hear the translation failed to work properly. Sometimes I’d hear the translation, but most times, I’d get an error telling me to retry.

There are a couple of pitfalls with the Little Language Lessons. First, they’re an early-stage experiment, seemingly designed more for developers. Second, they rely on generative AI, which can be unreliable. For those reasons, the translations may not always be accurate or complete. To be on the safe side, you’ll want to check the results with other sources.

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Still, you may want to try the Little Language Lessons the next time you need to speak with someone in a different language. And hopefully, the other person will understand if the AI doesn’t quite get it 100% right.

How to try them yourself

To try these tools out yourself, sign in to the Google Labs page with your Google account. You can certainly check out the tools on your computer, but you’ll likely want to use them on your iPhone or Android phone when you’re out and about. Scroll or swipe down the Labs home page and select the “Try it now” button for Little Language Lessons.

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