Interpreter vs Google Translate for interpreters

Google Translate is a free app for everyday translation. Its conversation mode is for in-person use: two people take turns speaking into one phone, and it translates back and forth.

It's a consumer translation tool, built for travel and casual conversation, not an aid for professional interpreters.

Interpreter puts every word of your call on screen as people speak, with the tools to act on it. It's built for phone (OPI) and video (VRI) interpreters. It works with call audio you share from Chrome or Edge, any call app on a Mac or Windows computer, and supported Android apps. Nobody else on the call joins or installs anything.

Live translate shows both languages as people speak. Captions only shows what people say, and you click a caption to translate just that line. Each speaker's turns get their own color, side by side or stacked.

Before the call, set the Call topic, like medical, legal or insurance, and add the names and terms you expect to hear. Your glossary sets how a term is translated, up to 50 terms. During the call, press Ctrl K (⌘K on a Mac) for Quick lookup, keep a callback number in Notes, and press Space to pause. Paused time isn't charged. Interpreter is HIPAA compliant, SOC 2 Type II audited and GDPR compliant.

Google Translate tries to replace the interpreter. Two people who don't share a language hold a phone between them. For ordering food, that works.

Your job is the three-way call where a patient describes chest pain, a cardiologist orders an echocardiogram, and you convert between languages while trying to remember whether they said atenolol or amlodipine. That's consecutive interpreting under a load no consumer app is built for.

Interpreter doesn't replace you. It keeps the call on screen so you can stop writing and focus on meaning. See how it fits in the interpreter tools guide.