Babel be damned. Google’s free “Translate” app for Android now includes a feature called Conversation Mode that does a pretty decent job of facilitating a verbal back-and-forth between English and Spanish.
Per Google’s blog post:
“In conversation mode, simply press the microphone for your language and start speaking. Google Translate will translate your speech and read the translation out loud. Your conversation partner can then respond in their language, and you’ll hear the translation spoken back to you.”
The feature currently works with English and Spanish only and is still in the early stages, but I’ve been playing with it for a bit and it definitely works well enough that I’d feel confident using it to carry on a simple conversation with someone who only spoke Spanish.
The app supports text-based translation for 53 languages as well.
More on TIME.com:
New App Lets Your Phone Become a Translation Tool
Google Maps Update Brings 3D Buildings, Offline GPS Features
