The Gemini Live API supports low-latency, real-time speech to speech translation between 70+ languages using the [`gemini-3.5-live-translate-preview`](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models/gemini-3.5-live-translate-preview) model. By configuring the Live API with translation settings, you can stream audio in one language and receive translated audio output in another language, enabling seamless real-time voice-to-voice translation. [Try the Live Translate in Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/live?model=gemini-3.5-live-translate-preview) [Clone the example app from GitHub](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-live-api-examples) [Use coding agent skills](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/coding-agents#gemini-live-api-dev) ## Live Agent vs. Live Translation While both use the Live API, the mental model for Live Translation is different from conversational real-time agent interactions. | Live Agent | Live Translation | |---|---| | **The model acts as an assistant.** It listens, reasons, and takes actions on your behalf. | **The model acts as an interpreter.** It behaves as a real-time translator pipeline. | | **Uses turn-based interactions.** Relies on pauses, intent detection, and handles interruptions. | **Uses continuous stream processing.** Translates as the speaker talks without waiting for turns. | | **Supports tools and agents.** Native support for function calling, Google Search, and instructions. | **Supports translation only.** Pure low-latency translation; no support for tools or instructions. | | **Fully multimodal.** Supports text, audio, video, and image inputs. | **Audio restricted.** Input is limited to audio to ensure strict real-time latency thresholds. | | **Granular configuration.** Uses generation, speech, tools, and system instructions. | **Simplified configuration.** Set `target_language_code` and toggles like `echo_target_language`. | ## Get started The following examples demonstrate how to initialize a client and connect to the Live API with a translation configuration. ### Python import asyncio from google import genai from google.genai import types client = genai.Client() model = "gemini-3.5-live-translate-preview" config = types.LiveConnectConfig( response_modalities=["AUDIO"], input_audio_transcription=types.AudioTranscriptionConfig(), output_audio_transcription=types.AudioTranscriptionConfig(), translation_config=types.TranslationConfig( target_language_code="pl", echo_target_language=True ) ) async def main(): async with client.aio.live.connect(model=model, config=config) as session: print("Session started with translation") # Start receiving the translated audio stream async for response in session.receive(): if response.server_content: if response.server_content.input_transcription: print(f"Input transcript: {response.server_content.input_transcription.text}") if response.server_content.output_transcription: print(f"Output transcript: {response.server_content.output_transcription.text}") if response.server_content.model_turn: for part in response.server_content.model_turn.parts: if part.inline_data: audio_data = part.inline_data.data # Play or process the translated audio chunk print(f"Received audio chunk ({len(audio_data)} bytes)") if __name__ == "__main__": asyncio.run(main()) ### JavaScript import { GoogleGenAI, Modality } from '@google/genai'; const ai = new GoogleGenAI({}); const model = 'gemini-3.5-live-translate-preview'; const config = { responseModalities: [Modality.AUDIO], inputAudioTranscription: {}, outputAudioTranscription: {}, translationConfig: { targetLanguageCode: 'pl', echoTargetLanguage: true } }; async function main() { const session = await ai.live.connect({ model: model, config: config, callbacks: { onopen: () => console.debug('Opened'), onmessage: (message) => { const content = message.serverContent; if (content?.inputTranscription) { console.log('Input transcript:', content.inputTranscription.text); } if (content?.outputTranscription) { console.log('Output transcript:', content.outputTranscription.text); } if (content?.modelTurn?.parts) { for (const part of content.modelTurn.parts) { if (part.inlineData) { const audioData = part.inlineData.data; // Play or process the translated audio chunk (base64 encoded) console.debug(`Received audio chunk (${audioData.length} bytes)`); } } } }, onerror: (e) => console.debug('Error:', e.message), onclose: (e) => console.debug('Close:', e.reason), }, }); console.debug("Session started with translation"); } main(); ### WebSockets const API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"; const MODEL_NAME = "gemini-3.5-live-translate-preview"; const WS_URL = `wss://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/ws/google.ai.generativelanguage.v1beta.GenerativeService.BidiGenerateContent?key=${API_KEY}`; const websocket = new WebSocket(WS_URL); websocket.onopen = () => { console.log('WebSocket Connected'); const setupMessage = { setup: { model: `models/${MODEL_NAME}`, generationConfig: { responseModalities: ['AUDIO'], inputAudioTranscription: {}, outputAudioTranscription: {}, translationConfig: { targetLanguageCode: 'pl', echoTargetLanguage: true } } } }; websocket.send(JSON.stringify(setupMessage)); }; websocket.onmessage = (event) => { const response = JSON.parse(event.data); if (response.serverContent) { const content = response.serverContent; if (content.inputTranscription) { console.log('Input transcript:', content.inputTranscription.text, `(${content.inputTranscription.languageCode})`); } if (content.outputTranscription) { console.log('Output transcript:', content.outputTranscription.text, `(${content.outputTranscription.languageCode})`); } if (content.modelTurn?.parts) { for (const part of content.modelTurn.parts) { if (part.inlineData) { const audioData = part.inlineData.data; // Play or process the translated audio chunk (base64 encoded) console.debug(`Received audio chunk (${audioData.length} bytes)`); } } } } }; ## Sending audio To stream voice inputs for translation, you send raw, little-endian, 16-bit PCM audio. - **Input audio format**: Raw 16-bit PCM at 16kHz (mono, little-endian). - **Output audio format**: Raw 16-bit PCM at 24kHz (mono, little-endian). - **Chunk Size and Latency**: Send audio in chunks of 100ms. > [!NOTE] > **Note:** Only audio input is supported for translation. Text input is not supported. The following examples show how to send audio chunks to the session. ### Python # Assuming 'chunk' is your raw PCM audio bytes await session.send_realtime_input( audio=types.Blob( data=chunk, mime_type="audio/pcm;rate=16000" ) ) ### JavaScript // Assuming 'chunk' is a Buffer of raw PCM audio session.sendRealtimeInput({ audio: { data: chunk.toString('base64'), mimeType: 'audio/pcm;rate=16000' } }); ### WebSockets // Assuming 'chunk' is a Buffer of raw PCM audio function sendAudioChunk(chunk) { if (websocket.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) { const audioMessage = { realtimeInput: { audio: { data: chunk.toString('base64'), mimeType: 'audio/pcm;rate=16000' } } }; websocket.send(JSON.stringify(audioMessage)); } } ## Configuration To enable translation, you must specify the `translationConfig` within the `generationConfig` during the session setup. ### Setup message configuration The `generationConfig` supports the following fields to enable transcripts: - **`inputAudioTranscription`**: An object that, when present, enables the model to send text transcripts of the input audio. - **`outputAudioTranscription`**: An object that, when present, enables the model to send text transcripts of the output (translated) audio. The `translationConfig` supports the following fields: - **`targetLanguageCode`** : The [BCP-47 language code](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/live-api/live-translate#supported-languages) of the language you want the model to translate into (e.g., `"pl"` for Polish, `"es"` for Spanish). Defaults to `"en"`. - **`echoTargetLanguage`** : A boolean indicating how input audio that is already in the target language should be handled. If set to `true`, the model will echo (parrot) input audio that is already in the target language. If set to `false`, the model will stay silent when the input speech is already in the target language. Defaults to `false`. Here is an example of the setup message structure: "setup": { "model": "models/gemini-3.5-live-translate-preview", "generationConfig": { "responseModalities": [ "AUDIO" ], "inputAudioTranscription": {}, "outputAudioTranscription": {}, "translationConfig": { "targetLanguageCode": "pl", "echoTargetLanguage": true } } } ## Ephemeral tokens for client-side applications For client-to-server applications, you can use [ephemeral tokens](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/live-api/ephemeral-tokens) (currently in `v1alpha`) to avoid exposing your API key. When using ephemeral tokens with Live Translation: 1. You must use the `v1alpha` endpoint. 2. **Locking configuration:** By default, you should specify the `translationConfig` in the token creation constraints on your server. This ensures the translation configuration is locked and cannot be tampered with by the client. 3. **Unlocking configuration:** If you want to be able to set the `translationConfig` on the client-side (for example, to let a user choose their own target language), you must omit it from the token creation request and set `"lock_additional_fields": []` instead. This will unlock `translationConfig` to be set on the client-side. ### Creating a constrained ephemeral token The following examples demonstrate how to create an ephemeral token with translation constraints. ### Python import datetime from google import genai now = datetime.datetime.now(tz=datetime.timezone.utc) client = genai.Client( http_options={'api_version': 'v1alpha'} ) token = client.auth_tokens.create( config = { 'uses': 1, 'expire_time': now + datetime.timedelta(minutes=30), 'live_connect_constraints': { 'model': 'gemini-3.5-live-translate-preview', 'config': { 'translation_config': { 'target_language_code': 'pl', 'echo_target_language': True } } }, 'http_options': {'api_version': 'v1alpha'}, } ) ### JavaScript import { GoogleGenAI } from "@google/genai"; const client = new GoogleGenAI({}); const expireTime = new Date(Date.now() + 30 * 60 * 1000).toISOString(); const token = await client.authTokens.create({ config: { uses: 1, expireTime: expireTime, liveConnectConstraints: { model: 'gemini-3.5-live-translate-preview', config: { responseModalities: ['AUDIO'], inputAudioTranscription: {}, outputAudioTranscription: {}, translationConfig: { targetLanguageCode: 'pl', echoTargetLanguage: true } } }, httpOptions: { apiVersion: 'v1alpha' } }, }); ## Limitations - **Input Modalities**: Only audio input is supported for translation. Text input is not supported. - **Voice Replication**: Voice replication can be inconsistent. Voices might shift after long pauses, assign the wrong gender based on how the speech starts, or get stuck on one voice during rapid multi-speaker conversations. - **Language Detection** : Language detection struggles with heavy accents, similar languages (e.g., Spanish vs. Portuguese), or rapid language switches. **Note:** This should only impact the input transcript. Language codes and the final translation should still be accurate. - **Background Audio**: The model is designed to filter out noise and music to produce clean speech, but not all background audio may be ignored. - **Echo Target Language** : When `echoTargetLanguage: true`, background noise or music may introduce artifacts in the translated audio when input audio is already in the target language. ## Supported languages The following languages are supported for Live Translation. | Language | BCP-47 Code | Language | BCP-47 Code | |---|---|---|---| | Afrikaans | af | Kazakh | kk | | Akan | ak | Khmer | km | | Albanian | sq | Kinyarwanda | rw | | Amharic | am | Korean | ko | | Arabic | ar | Lao | lo | | Armenian | hy | Latvian | lv | | Azerbaijani | az | Lithuanian | lt | | Basque | eu | Macedonian | mk | | Belarusian | be | Malay | ms | | Bengali | bn | Malayalam | ml | | Bulgarian | bg | Marathi | mr | | Burmese (Myanmar) | my | Mongolian | mn | | Catalan | ca | Nepali | ne | | Chinese (Simplified) | zh-Hans | Norwegian | no, nb | | Chinese (Traditional) | zh-Hant | Persian | fa | | Croatian | hr | Polish | pl | | Czech | cs | Portuguese (Brazil) | pt-BR | | Danish | da | Portuguese (Portugal) | pt-PT | | Dutch | nl | Punjabi | pa | | English | en | Romanian | ro | | Estonian | et | Russian | ru | | Filipino | fil | Serbian | sr | | Finnish | fi | Sindhi | sd | | French | fr | Sinhala | si | | Galician | gl | Slovak | sk | | Georgian | ka | Slovenian | sl | | German | de | Spanish | es | | Greek | el | Sundanese | su | | Gujarati | gu | Swahili | sw | | Hausa | ha | Swedish | sv | | Hebrew | he | Tamil | ta | | Hindi | hi | Telugu | te | | Hungarian | hu | Thai | th | | Icelandic | is | Turkish | tr | | Indonesian | id | Ukrainian | uk | | Italian | it | Urdu | ur | | Japanese | ja | Uzbek | uz | | Javanese | jv | Vietnamese | vi | | Kannada | kn | Zulu | zu | ## What's next - Read the full Live API [Capabilities](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/live-api/capabilities) guide. - Read the [Get started with the SDK](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/live-api/get-started-sdk) guide. - Read the [Get started with WebSockets](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/live-api/get-started-websocket) guide. - Read the [Ephemeral tokens](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/live-api/ephemeral-tokens) guide for secure authentication in client-to-server applications. - Clone the [Live API examples](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-live-api-examples) from GitHub.