Real-time voice translator: what «real time» actually means

«Real time» is used for two different things, and only one of them works when you are standing in front of somebody.

Simultaneous

The translation runs while the person is still talking, the way it works in a conference booth. It sounds impressive and it is the wrong shape for a counter: both voices overlap, nobody knows whose turn it is, and the microphone is open the whole time, picking up the room.

By turns

You hold a button, you speak, you let go, it speaks. Then the other person does the same. It adds a second or two and it removes every ambiguity about who is talking — which is exactly what two strangers need in order to get through a conversation they could not otherwise have.

What POC Card does

Turns, with a button for each person and the microphone open only while one is held down. The transcript appears before the translation is spoken, so a misheard name is caught by you and not by them.

What it costs: you pay for the minutes you speak, not a subscription. 15 minutes for US$6.99, 30 for US$9.99, two hours for US$24.99. Credits do not expire. Try it free first.

Where not to use it

Not for a medical consultation, a legal proceeding or anything where a mistranslated word has consequences you cannot undo. Those need a sworn or certified human interpreter, and no software replaces one. This is for the counter, the workshop, the site visit and the conversation that would otherwise not happen at all.

Questions people ask before buying.