Technologies

Google’s AI Live Translation and Learning Tools Are Here. How to Use Them

A Duolingo-like experience can help you practice a new language.

Google Translate is getting an AI upgrade designed to make real-time conversations and language learning easier. The update is rolling out this week in the Translate app on iOS and Android.

The first tool, for live translations, lets you have a back-and-forth conversation with someone by surfacing audio and text translations as you speak, so you can easily follow along. Advanced Gemini models allow for support of more than 70 languages, including Arabic, French, Hindi, Korean and Spanish. Google says its voice and speech recognition models are trained to isolate sounds, so the live translation feature should also work in noisy environments like an airport or a cafe.

I gave the Arabic translation a spin, and it did a good job picking up on even unconventional Iraqi slang. Judging from my intermediate knowledge of Spanish, it also translated my rambling well. I also like that Translate offers both text and audio translations, so you can go with whichever medium you prefer or revisit what was said via the on-screen text.

A second feature is designed to help you practice a new language. You can choose whether you currently have a basic, intermediate or advanced understanding of the language you’re learning and then set a goal. For example, I noted that I wanted to practice Spanish so I could get around the city and have casual conversations (hearkening to my days at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona when I ambitiously dusted off my high school Spanish).

Translate will then surface recommended scenarios like asking for the nearest bus stop, greeting a neighbor or chatting about your hobbies. You can then choose either a listening or speaking exercise. In the listening sessions, you’ll tap the words you hear, and in the speaking one, you can practice having a back-and-forth conversation. The language learning feature is currently available for English speakers practicing Spanish and French, and for Spanish, French and Portuguese speakers practicing English.

«These updates are made possible by advancements in AI and machine learning,» Google Product Manager Matt Sheets said in a blog post. «As we continue to push the boundaries of language processing and understanding, we are able to serve a wider range of languages and improve the quality and speed of translations. And with our Gemini models in Translate, we’ve been able to take huge strides in translation quality, multimodal translation, and text-to-speech capabilities.»

This comes as Google adds other language-specific features like Voice Translate on the Pixel 10 series. That feature can also translate what someone is saying in real time, but while chatting on the phone, and goes the extra mile of mimicking the sound of their voice, instead of superimposing a robotic one. Gemini Live can also have a back-and-forth conversation in a handful of languages. And last year, Google Translate added 110 new languages thanks to AI advancements.

How to access Google Translate’s new tools

The live translate and language learning capabilities in Google Translate are rolling out now on iOS and Android. Live translations are currently limited to users in the US, India and Mexico.

To access the new features, open up the Google Translate app, which you can download in the Apple App Store or Google Play. You’ll see a tab for «Live translate» on the bottom left, and another for «Practice,» the language learning tool, on the right.

When you go into Live translate, you can pick which languages you want to translate and then start talking. The translated audio and text will automatically appear.

Tapping into Practice will prompt you to set up the language, level and goal you’re looking to meet, and then lead you to tailored exercises.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, March 15

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 15.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Today’s wasn’t terribly tough, but read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: On-call doctor’s device
Answer: PAGER

6A clue: Amazon virtual assistant
Answer: ALEXA

7A clue: Host of the 2026 Oscars
Answer: CONAN

8A clue: Stumped on a puzzle, say
Answer: STUCK

9A clue: Aves. and blvds.
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Election-influencing groups, for short
Answer: PACS

2D clue: Quite a few
Answer: ALOT

3D clue: The «Tyrannosaurus» of Tyrannosaurus rex
Answer: GENUS

4D clue: Right on
Answer: EXACT

5D clue: Puts in order from best to worst, maybe
Answer: RANKS

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 15, #1008

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 15, No. 1,008

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough, but the yellow category has some fun options in it. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Mine, all mine!

Green group hint: A part you might use to build something.

Blue group hint: Blended words.

Purple group hint: Not a cow, but close.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Greedily control.

Green group: Toothed wheels.

Blue group: Portmanteaux.

Purple group: Bull ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is greedily control. The four answers are bogart, corner, hog and monopolize.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is toothed wheels. The four answers are cog, gear, pinion and sprocket.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is portmanteaux. The four answers are blog, motel, smog and spork.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is bull ____. The four answers are dog, doze, frog and horn.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for March 15, #742

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for March 15, No. 742.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is fun and timely, relating to a certain big ceremony held this weekend. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Best of all

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: The envelope, please.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

RATE, RATED, DATE, DOTE, DATED, DOTED, GATE, GATES, TROD, TRODS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: