Google Translate has been among my most-used apps when traveling internationally. I point it at a sign, snap a menu, or use it to translate languages on the go.
This time in Barcelona, though, I barely used Translate. Instead, Gemini Live took over, acting as the travel assistant I never knew I needed and desperately missed.
I did not ditch Google Translate, Gemini Live just does more
It’s a companion, not just a translator
Google Translate is still brilliant at what it does.
The Live Conversation feature was extremely helpful when I needed to talk to Spanish-speaking locals. It was also the first app I turned to when trying to communicate with the medical staff at the hospital during an emergency mid-trip.
However, Translate only does what its name indicates: it translates languages. Gemini Live goes beyond that, making it an indispensable travel companion.
With Google Translate, I’d typically snap a photo of a sign or menu and then read it in English to understand what it meant. A multistep process that felt inefficient and time-consuming. Gemini Live makes this entire process much more seamless.
Multiple times while roaming the streets of Barcelona and the small nearby towns, I came across signs in Spanish. Instead of snapping a photo and translating it, I triggered Gemini Live, pointed my phone’s camera at the sign, and asked what it meant.
Gemini understood my question and answered out loud — all within seconds, and without requiring me to switch between apps.
Since I don’t eat beef or pork, every supermarket run for groceries abroad is a challenge. In Spain, the ingredient lists on all products are in Spanish or Catalan, making it difficult to understand whether a product contains meat, beef, or other meat-based ingredients.
On previous trips, I would stand in the supermarket aisle, click a picture of the ingredient list on the item I possibly want to buy, and then use Google Translate to figure out its contents. A slow, painful process, especially since I have to do it multiple times.
With Gemini Live, I point the camera at the ingredients list and ask whether the product contains beef or pork. It instantly responds with the information I need, including highlighting any animal-based derivatives that I might have missed.
Gemini Live’s visual understanding proved even more useful during one of my recent grocery runs in Carrefour in Barcelona.
I wanted to buy vegetable lasagna. Standing in front of an aisle packed with dozens of boxes of lasagna and similar products, I could not tell which ones were vegetarian and which ones were worth buying.
Instead of picking up every box and reading the ingredient list, I opened Gemini Live, enabled camera access, and pointed it at the shelf. I asked it to find and highlight any vegetarian lasagna options and other vegetarian ready-to-eat meals worth trying.
Within seconds, Gemini Live pointed out the vegetarian options along with a few alternatives that I should consider.
It felt like I had a personal shopping assistant in my hands, helping me make informed decisions even in a foreign language.
If anything, this is one of the easiest ways to incorporate Gemini into your life when traveling.
Gemini Live has an opinion
And that’s what makes it a great travel companion
Gemini Live can not only act as a translator, but also give opinions and recommendations. Thanks to Personal Intelligence, Gemini knows my preferences, what I like to eat and drink, and the kind of places I like to visit.
Previously, whenever my wife and I visited a local Spanish café or restaurant, we’d look at the menu and be confused while deciding what to order.
With most local cafés not having English menus and our limited knowledge of the local dishes, we’d usually play it safe and order the one dish we recognized.
Gemini Live completely changed that experience, acting as the local food expert I never had. Instead of translating the entire menu, I pointed my phone’s camera at it and asked for food recommendations.
Besides translating the menu, Gemini Live suggested dishes based on my preferences, while keeping the local specialties in mind.
The conversation did not end there. I could ask follow-up questions, like which dish would be spicier, what it would taste like, and whether it contained beef or pork.
Thanks to this, I was able to try more local dishes in Spain and other countries than ever before.
The travel companion I’ll never fly without again
For years, I relied on Google Translate while traveling abroad to communicate with the locals and understand signs.
While Translate is not going anywhere, especially with its Live Conversation feature, Gemini Live has now taken over most of those tasks.
It handled everything from understanding street signs and shopping for groceries to recommending restaurant dishes and helping me navigate unfamiliar stores, all through a simple conversation. I only had to point my phone’s camera and ask a question.
After experiencing international travel with Gemini Live by my side, I can’t imagine taking another trip without it.
It has become the travel companion I didn’t know I needed. Even better, this is just one of the many ways Gemini Live can turn your phone into an assistant you’ve always wanted.
