At the Meta Connect 2024 event, Meta introduced a new feature for its Ray-Ban smart glasses: real-time translation capabilities. This update allows users to access live translations while conversing in Spanish, French, or Italian, with translations delivered directly through the glasses’ open-ear speakers. The feature is designed to facilitate more fluid, natural conversations between speakers of different languages without requiring additional devices.
According to Meta, the glasses use the company’s latest AI model, Llama 3.2, which enables interaction via voice commands, text, and images. Users can initiate translation by speaking, without needing to manually activate the function. “You can simply speak to someone in Spanish, and hear the English translation directly in your ear,” said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the event. A demonstration featured mixed martial arts fighter Brandon Moreno speaking Spanish, while Zuckerberg responded in English.
The translation capability is currently limited to English and the three Romance languages. The company has confirmed plans to expand the supported language base, but no specific timeline for additional language rollouts has been announced. “We plan to add support for more languages in the future to make this feature even more useful,” the company noted. At present, the glasses support conversations in English-Spanish, English-French, and English-Italian.
For users who frequently travel or work in multilingual environments, the Ray-Ban smart glasses offer a hands-free translation option. However, the long-term effectiveness of the device, particularly its ability to handle various accents and dialects, remains to be seen. As user feedback and testing continue, Meta plans to refine the technology through updates.
In addition to translation, the glasses include the ability to recognize QR codes and voice-activate certain apps. Meta is also integrating the glasses into its broader ecosystem of AI-powered services. According to a recent article in TechCrunch, the glasses work in tandem with platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger.
