How to use live translation on Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and which languages work

Ray-Ban Meta glasses can act as an interpreter for a conversation. The other person talks, Meta AI translates, and you hear what they said in your language through the speakers in the frame. When you answer, the Meta AI app on your phone shows your reply translated, so the other person can read it or play it out loud.

This guide is based on the pages Meta publishes about translation on its AI glasses. Meta describes the same feature for Oakley Meta and Meta Glasses, which it lists alongside Ray-Ban Meta for live translation.

Which languages work

Which languages you get depends on whether your glasses are online.

On its translation page, Meta says Gen 3 owners can download the language packs for the first six languages once and translate "anywhere, even without Wi-Fi." With an internet connection, the glasses "unlock Mandarin, Russian, Greek and many more languages," and Meta's FAQ on the same page names Japanese, Korean, Arabic and Hindi among the newer additions. Meta says the list keeps growing, so the languages offered in your Meta AI app may be longer than this table.

Set it up before you need it

Do this at home, on Wi-Fi, before a trip:

1. Open the Meta AI app on your phone and tap Translate.
2. Select the language you'll be translating from and follow the on-screen prompts.
3. If you'll be somewhere without a reliable connection, download the language packs in the app now. Meta's own advice is that translation "works best online," with the packs as a backup for patchy coverage.

Start and stop a translation

Once your languages are set, you don't need the phone to start:

1. Say "Hey Meta, start live translation."
2. Let the other person talk. You'll hear the translation through the open-ear speakers on Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses.
3. Reply in your own language. The Meta AI app translates and transcribes what you said, and the other person can read the text on your phone or listen to the audio, according to Meta.
4. When you're done, say "Hey Meta, stop live translation."

Meta says a full transcript of every translation also shows up in the Meta AI app, so you can scroll back if you missed a word.

If you have Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3, you can also put live translation on the new action button. Ray-Ban's support FAQ says you assign it in the Meta AI app under Settings, then Customize controls, then Action button, and warns that live translation may need a few extra setup steps there.

Translate signs, menus and other text

Live translation is built for speech. For written text, use Meta AI and the camera instead. Look at the menu, sign or label and ask:

• "Hey Meta, what does this text say?"
• "Hey Meta, translate this inscription." (Meta's example, for Italian text carved into a marble column.)

Meta AI reads the text through the camera and tells you what it says in the language you prefer. Because it relies on the camera, it needs a pair that has one.

What to expect

Meta says translations come quickly enough to follow along, "with only a brief pause as Meta AI identifies the language," and that the feature favors understanding in real time over perfect phrasing. Meta describes it as best for informal, everyday exchanges like ordering a meal or getting around on a trip, and says it doesn't replace a professional interpreter.

Which glasses support it

Meta names Meta Glasses, Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta for spoken translation. On Meta Ray-Ban Display, you also see live captions and translated subtitles in the lens. Meta's offline language list on its translation page is stated for Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3; if you have an older pair, check which packs the Translate section of the Meta AI app offers for your glasses.

For the rest of what Meta AI can do on your glasses, see our guide to Ray-Ban Meta voice commands.