As someone who travels a lot for work and leisure, the number of translation apps and products I’ve used in the past is ridiculous. From working in multi-lingual teams to trying to haggle in the markets in Egypt to switching between different dialects, it’s a lot to handle.
So, when I found Timekettle’s WT2 Edge/W3 Real-time Translator Earbuds, I was so excited to try them out. Read on to find out why I believe these earbuds are the best device that translates languages in real-time.
Why I Love the Timekettle WT2 Edge/W3 Real-time Translator Earbuds
Okay, so I have been using these Timekettle translator earbuds for a while now, and here are some of the things I love about them.
2-Way Simultaneous Translation
If there’s one thing about digital translation apps and products that really annoys me, it’s lag. Sitting in awkward silence while you wait for the software to do its thing messes with the flow of the conversation or meeting. It’s not cool, at all.
The Timekettle WT2 Edge/W3 Real-time Translator Earbuds have two-way simultaneous translation with just 0.5-3 seconds of latency. For translating earbuds, this is incredible. It means you can follow the conversation and match the words to facial expressions and context clues with ease, which is a huge part of understanding a new language.
When I use the WT2 Edge, I am always surprised with how fast the translations are! It feels like I’m actually having a normal conversation instead of waiting awkwardly for the translator to interpret and then repeat the sentence.
Although the spoken translation is normally 95% correct in real-time when I’m speaking with someone in Simul Mode, I can also read the translations on the Timekettle app.
Translation Modes in the TimeKettle WT2 Edge
There are 4 modes that the TimeKettle WT2 Edge operates in: Simul Mode, Listening Mode, Speaker Mode, and Touch Mode.
Simul Mode is best for fluid conversations with another human being; whereas Listening Mode works best when you’re a passive listener in meetings, shows, and conversations.
Speaker Mode is basically the same as Simul Mode, but the app uses the built-in speaker and microphone in my device to listen and communicate the translation.
In Speaker Mode, it was a little confusing why one user would use an ear bud and the other would use the device microphone and speaker when both users could just use the device to communicate.
Touch Mode is a more manual version of Simul Mode where the users need to physically tap the phone or the ear bud to switch between each speaker.
Overall, Simul Mode is by far my favorite mode because it feels so natural when you’re having a conversation with someone else. There’s no need to do anything with your hands and you can focus on the experience.
Online and Offline Translation Options
Even though I’m connected most of the time, especially when I travel, through e-SIMs like Airalo, it’s not always possible to get a decent connection. With so many translation apps relying on WiFi or mobile data, you can always get caught out if the internet connection isn’t up to standard.
So, not only do these earbuds support 40 different languages when you’re online, but they also work with 13 major languages in offline mode, which is pretty incredible. This is really useful if the reception is spotty, your data is running low, or you’re out in the middle of nowhere without decent coverage!
In the packaging of my Timekettle’s WT2 Edge earbuds, there was a Timekettle Fish Card with 30 credits on the account. All I needed to do was scratch the security seal to reveal the Pin, which unlocked offline features.
I used ‘5 fish’ to download the English to German offline feature and another ‘5 fish’ to download Spanish to English as well.
Normally it costs $9.99 to download ‘5 fish’ credits or $27.99 to download ’15 fish’ credits. The size of each language package is anywhere from 356.8 – 410 MB.
The 40 languages covered are:
- Arabic
- Bulgarian
- Cantonese
- Catalan
- Chinese
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English
- Finnish
- Filipino
- French
- German
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Malay
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Vietnamese
Be aware that not all languages are available in Offline mode. The core languages that you can download are English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and Korean.
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93 Accent Options
Something that I don’t see covered by a lot of translation apps or devices is accents. I’m not even talking about the differences between UK English to American English – within those two dialects, there are dozens of different accents to contend with. For example, if you hear someone with a heavy Texan accent versus a heavy New York account, the translation might come out completely different.
The Timekettle WT2 Edge/W3 Real-time Translator Earbuds have 93 different accents in their arsenal. So, it doesn’t matter if you’re speaking to a Geordie from the Northeast of England, a Glaswegian from Scotland, or someone from Perth in Western Australia, these earbuds should be able to translate effectively.
The 93 accents exist in eight of their 40 languages and are as follows:
Arabic
- Egypt
- Algeria
- Tunisia
- Morocco
- Saudi Arabia
- Oman
- United Arab Emirates
- Qatar
- Bahrain
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Palestine
- Israel.
Chinese
- Simplified
- Traditional
- Cantonese
English
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- USA
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- India
- Philippines
- South Africa
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Singapore
French
- France
- Canada
Portuguese
- Portugal
- Brazil
Spanish
- Spain
- USA
- Mexico
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Costa Rica
- Argentina
- Chile
- Bolivia
- Colombia
- Dominican
- Ecuador
- Guatemala
- Peru
- Puerto Rico
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Salvador
Tamil
- India
- Singapore
- Sri Lanka
- Malaysia
Urdu
- Pakistan
- India
Noise Reduction
When you’re trying to make live translations work, background noise can be your biggest enemy. Having headphones that have built-in noise-reduction features is a huge bonus. This leaves you free to focus on the conversation and follow along with the translation!
Great Battery Life
Is there anything worse than your translation app zapping your phone battery or your headphones dying in the middle of an important conversation? Honestly, it’s one of the most annoying things about translation apps in particular, because they require so much power to run in real time.
The Timekettle WT2 Edge/W3 Real-time Translator Earbuds offers:
- 3 hours of continuous translation
- 12 hours battery life with the charging case
- 90 minutes to full charge with a USB-C cable
While three hours might not sound like a lot, when was the last time you had a conversation or meeting that lasted three solid hours? With just a 90-minute recharge time via USB-C, you can easily partially recharge them over your lunch for afternoon sessions, or use the charging case to re-juice them on your commute.
Supports Up to 6-Person Bilingual Translation
Most of the time, digital translators can only handle a two-person conversation or, at a push, three people. The fact that these Timekettle earbuds can handle up to six people in a conversation at a time makes them perfect for business meetings.
Of course, it still only has to be two languages at play at a time, but if you have clients speaking one language and your team speaking another, the ability to understand everyone in the room is huge. Every person has a slightly different register, accent, and tone, so being able to continuously translate, despite these differences is really useful.
Something ALL Digital Translators Struggle With
I speak 3 languages… poorly. My native language is English, I learned Spanish at home and in school, and I’ve been studying German seriously for the last 4 years after I moved to Germany in 2020.
Anyone who has learned a language can tell you that even native speakers still make mistakes and this is a pitfall that even the best digital translator can’t resolve.
When the speaker makes a grammatical or vocabulary mistake, the Timekettle WT2 Edge doesn’t make an educated guess on the word. Instead, it communicates the literal translation or removes the word from the message entirely.
In Berlin, nearly half of the residents have a migration background to some degree. Whether their family is originally from Turkey or they are from a different country in the EU, most people in Berlin do not speak perfect ‘Hochdeutsch‘ or ‘high/standard German.’
Further more, German grammar is absolutely unforgiving so even native born Germans, who have been here for generations make minor mistakes due to their education level, dialect, and where they are from in Germany.
When there is a deviation from the formalities and conjugations of any language, that’s when all translators start to struggle.
Tips for Buying Digital Translators
So, before you dive right in and buy your digital translator, here are a few of my favorite tips for buying the best digital translator for your needs.
Think About Your Actual Needs
First things first, what do you actually need your digital translator for? If you’re going around on holiday and you just want it as a backup in case you’re in trouble, you don’t need to buy the most expensive, feature-stacked translator on the market.
Likewise, if you need to use it for a multi-month backpacking trip that takes you through a ton of countries where your native language is rarely spoken, getting a reasonably good pair of translating earbuds, like the Timekettle WT2 Edge/W3s is going to be a great idea.
Do You Need It for Work?
If you need a digital translator for work purposes, remember that you can write it off as a tax-deductible come tax season! This is super important as it means you might be able to splurge on a slightly better model. Some businesses may even buy them for you if it’s a necessity for your job.
For instance, I’m in a remote, multilingual team, so I use digital translators all the time to chat with my Arabic-speaking team members. As this is a necessity for my job, work should pay for any digital translation software, apps, or devices. Save your own money where you can!
What Languages Do You Need?
Now, I mentioned that in online mode, the Timekettle WT2/W3 earbuds work in around 40 languages. Obviously, there are a lot more languages in the world than that. Before you splash the case, work out which languages you’re going to need and make sure your digital translator app or device can handle it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Digital Translators
So, now you know everything about the best device that translates languages in real-time, let’s round things off with some frequently asked questions.
How Does a Digital Translator Work?
Basically, digital translators work by taking words and phrases, analyzing them, and translating them as close to real-time as possible. Some use AI for context gaps and others can be more specific based on tone and dialect, separating out different speakers. The world of digital translation is always evolving, especially with translation headphones and AI assistance.
Is a Translation App Better than a Digital Translator?
Whether a translation app is better than a digital translator has been up for debate. Realistically, digital translators are better as they’re designed for this purpose and don’t rely on phone microphone and speaker quality.
They also tend to have better battery life which is a huge plus if you’re out and about. The other thing is that digital translator earbuds, like the Timekettle ones, are a lot more discreet. This means you can translate in busy places like markets, tourist spots, and stations without having to get your phone out in the open.
What are the Most Popular Translation Languages?
The most popular translation languages for 2024 are: Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese (Brazilian), Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Dutch, Korean, and Turkish. Some of these might be more surprising than others, especially languages like Dutch and Turkish being more popular than widely spoken languages like Arabic or Cantonese.
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Vanessa Wachtmeister is a travel tech professional and the creator of the wealth & wanderlust platform, Wander Onwards. Vanessa is originally from Los Angeles, California, she is a proud Chicana, and she has been living abroad for the last 9 years. Today, she helps people pursue financial and location independence through her ‘Move Abroad’ Master Class, financial literacy digital products, and career workshops.