The short answer
On a phone, the Google Translate app listens to German and translates it live. On a computer it does not: Google's help page says you can't talk and translate at the same time on Google Translate for the web. Chrome can translate captions of German audio playing in a Chrome tab. Windows 11 translates it into English only on a Copilot+ PC. On a Mac with Apple Intelligence, only one-on-one FaceTime and Phone calls get translated.
Fraze is a Mac and Windows app that listens to whatever your computer plays, in any app, and writes the English line under each German line. Speech recognition and translation both run on your computer. No audio or text is uploaded, and after the first language download it works with Wi-Fi off.
Expect about half a second to a second of delay after the speaker pauses, and text only. It also works the other way, English to German.
Pick the tool by where the German is coming from
| What it listens to | German to English | Where it is translated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Translate app | Speech near your phone | Yes, as text or out loud | Offline only on Pixel 9, 10 and 11, Google says |
| Google Translate website | Typed or pasted text | No live speech, Google says | |
| Chrome Live Caption | Media playing in Chrome | Yes, with Live Translate | Captions go to Google |
| Windows 11 Live Captions | Any audio on the PC | Copilot+ PCs only | Microsoft says on-device |
| macOS Live Captions | Any audio on the Mac | No | Not available |
| FaceTime and Phone on a Mac | One-on-one calls in those two apps | Yes, with Apple Intelligence | Apple says on-device |
| Fraze | Any audio on the computer, or the microphone | Yes, and English to German | On your computer |
If the German speaker is in the room with you, the phone app is the right tool and it is free. If the German is coming out of your computer, the phone has to hear it through the speakers, and you end up reading a small screen beside a big one.
Apple's translation is free too, but only for a FaceTime or Phone call with one person. A Teams meeting, a lecture in the browser or a video in a player gets no English from it.
Translate German audio to English with Fraze
Install Fraze
Download it for a Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 14 or later, or for Windows 11. No account is needed.
Choose what it listens to
Click the dark audio pill. Check System audio for a call, a lecture or a video playing on your computer. Check Microphone for someone speaking in the room, or both.
Pick German and English
Click the language pill. Set Spoken language to German and Translate to English. The first time, Fraze downloads the two language files, and after that it needs no internet.
Press record and play the audio
The German appears as the speaker talks, and each line settles with the English under it when they pause. The captions button turns Fraze into a small window that floats over the call or the video.
Where people use it
- A Teams, Zoom or Google Meet call with a German supplier, client or colleague. No bot joins the call, because Fraze listens on your own computer.
- A lecture, seminar or webinar streamed in German, while your German is still catching up.
- German TV, a news stream or a YouTube video with no English subtitles.
- A family video call on WhatsApp with German-speaking relatives, read in English as it happens.
Why it runs on your computer
A price negotiation with a supplier, a video appointment with a doctor or a family conversation is not something everyone wants sent to a server to be translated. Fraze turns the German into text and the text into English on your computer, and saves the transcript there too. Nothing is uploaded.
That also means it works on a train, in a hotel with bad Wi-Fi, or with the network switched off, once the German and English files are downloaded.
What to expect, honestly
- There is a delay. Lines land about half a second to a second after the speaker pauses, so fast back and forth reads slightly behind.
- German often keeps the verb for the end of the sentence. The English under a line can change while the speaker is still talking, and it settles when they pause.
- Machine translation is imperfect. Strong dialect, names, numbers and people talking over each other are where it slips. Du and Sie both come out as you, so the formal tone is lost.
- It is text only. It does not speak the English out loud, and there are no speaker labels.
- It is live only. To translate a German audio file, play it on your computer and let Fraze listen.
- It needs macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon, or Windows 11 on x64 with a 4-core AVX2 processor and 8 GB of memory. There is no phone app.
What it costs
The first 30 minutes are free, with no account and no card. After that it is $29.99 once or $2.99 a month, both unlimited. Because the work happens on your computer, there is no per-minute charge, so a two-hour lecture costs the same as a short call.
Questions
Can Google Translate translate German audio on a computer?
Not live. Google's help page says you can't talk and translate at the same time on Google Translate for the web, and points to the Translate app on a phone or tablet. On a computer, Chrome's Live Translate can translate captions of German audio playing in Chrome.
Is there a free German to English voice translator?
The Google Translate app on a phone is free. Chrome's Live Translate is free for audio in a Chrome tab. Windows 11 Live Captions show German captions on any PC, but translate them into English only on a Copilot+ PC. On a Mac with Apple Intelligence, one-on-one FaceTime and Phone calls can be translated for free. Fraze gives the first 30 minutes free, then costs $29.99 once or $2.99 a month.
Does it understand speakers from Austria and Switzerland?
Fraze is made for standard German, whether the speaker is from Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Strong dialect, Swiss German above all, is where it is most likely to slip. Use the free 30 minutes to try it on the people you actually listen to.
Does it work from English to German too?
Yes. Set Spoken language to English and Translate to German. Fraze translates about 50 languages to or from English.
Can I translate a German audio or video file?
Yes, by playing it. Fraze listens to whatever your computer plays, so a file in any player works like a live stream. You cannot upload a file for it to process.
Does it work offline?
Yes, after the first download of the German and English language files. Speech recognition and translation both run on your computer.
Can it speak the English translation out loud?
No. Fraze shows text. If you need a spoken translation of someone in the room, the Google Translate app on a phone can play it out loud.