At Apple’s recent event, one feature stood out: Live Translation. With the newest iPhone and AirPods Pro 3, you can hold real-time conversations across languages (Apple, 2025). No app switching, no typing into Google Translate – just talking. It feels like a big step toward removing everyday barriers.
But this is also about strategy. Apple isn’t only adding a feature; it’s strengthening its platform. Every new function makes the iPhone–AirPods ecosystem more valuable and harder to leave. Translation becomes not just a tool but another reason to stay inside Apple’s world (Tiwana, 2014).
The rollout also shows how regulation matters. Because of the EU’s Digital Markets Act, Live Translation won’t even be available in many European countries at first (TechRadar, 2025). A technology built to connect people is itself limited by borders.
What interests me most, though, is the cultural impact. In countries like the Netherlands, where I study, English already dominates. Many people never feel the need to learn Dutch because they can get by in English everywhere. With real-time translation, this trend could spread even further. It might make life easier for internationals, but it could also weaken motivation to learn local languages and reduce cultural exchange.
I see both sides. For international students, travelers, and businesses, Live Translation could be transformative. At the same time, there’s something valuable in struggling through a new language, in the misunderstandings and small victories along the way.
So what do you think? Will tools like this enrich communication, or will they take something important away?
References
Apple. (2025, September 9). New Apple Intelligence features are available today. Apple Newsroom. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/09/new-apple-intelligence-features-are-available-today/
TechRadar. (2025, September 11). AirPods’ new Live Translation feature won’t be available in much of Europe at launch. https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/airpods-new-live-translation-feature-might-be-full-of-european-languages-but-the-feature-wont-be-available-in-much-of-europe
Tiwana, A. (2014). Platform ecosystems: Aligning architecture, governance, and strategy. Morgan Kaufmann.
