Spotify Using AI to Translate Podcasters' Original Voices to Additional Languages

Spotify this week announced an AI translation feature for podcasters that could give it an edge over Apple's podcasting platform. Voice Translation for podcasts uses artificial intelligence to translate podcasts into additional languages using the original podcaster's voice.

General Spotify Feature
While Spotify developed the tool, it is using OpenAI's latest voice generation technology. It learns the original speaker's voice and style and then translates the podcast into another language. Spotify says that this system will provide a "more authentic listening experience" that is more natural and personal than standard dubbing. Podcasts translated this way will retain the speaker's distinctive speech characteristics.

Spotify is testing Voice Translation at the current time, and is working with podcasters like Dax Shepard, Monica Padman, Bill Simmons, Steven Bartlett, and Lex Fridman to create AI-powered voice translations in languages like Spanish, French, and German for both existing episodes and future podcast episodes.

Voice-translated episodes are available worldwide to Premium and Free users. An initial bundle of translated episodes in Spanish are available now, with French and German rolling out "in the coming days and weeks." According to Spotify, the pilot program will provide "important insights" for future expansion and iteration.

While Apple does not have a competing tool at this time for the Podcasts platform, it is experimenting with AI voice technology. In iOS 17, Apple added a Personal Voice feature that allows you to use AI to create a replica of your voice. Right now, this is an accessibility feature that Apple has designed for those who are at risk of losing their ability to speak, but it stands to reason that Apple could use voice replication in other areas in the future.

Popular Stories

Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
ipad blue prime day

iPad 12 Rumored to Get iPhone 17's A19 Chip, Breaking Apple Tradition

Wednesday December 10, 2025 12:22 pm PST by
The next-generation low-cost iPad will use Apple's A19 chip, according to a report from Macworld. Macworld claims to have seen an "internal Apple code document" with information about the 2026 iPad lineup. Prior documentation discovered by MacRumors suggested that the iPad 12 would be equipped with an A18 chip, not an A19 chip. The A19 chip was just released this year in the iPhone 17, and...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

icanhazmac Avatar
29 months ago
No way I would ever allow another entity to "create" content in my voice. Before you know it you are getting canceled and apologizing for an AI error that caused "you" to say some horrific stuff in a language you don't even speak.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NEPOBABY Avatar
29 months ago

I mean if it works reasonably well, why not? Wider audience and more revenue for the podcast.
There will definitely be many bad and messed up translations.

Relying on algorithms alone to translate languages is notoriously and famously difficult.

Anyone who has used YouTube or Instagram's translators knows how bad it is. Sometimes the meaning is changed completely.

Instagram translates my Chinese and Japanese friends posts wrong 50% of the time and converts their words into dumbed down American ghetto slang, which not only is a mistranslation but also paints people in a bad light.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrfunnypenguin Avatar
29 months ago
Have they completely forgot about HiFi?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
29 months ago

I don’t see an issue with this. Everyone issue with AI (including mine) is lack of consent and getting payed for these AI companies stealing your work. If an artist agrees and is payed for their work getting used, I don’t see an issue.
Apple people see issues because this is a Spotify story. Take this one down, wait a day or two and put it back up as an Apple Podcasts story and we'll be gushing at Apple genius for the same thing. "We" are a very fair weather crowd. If it's an Apple innovation, it is genius. If it is an Apple competitor innovation, no one needs it, it's buggy as h*ll, it will never work right, security, privacy, risk of death/murder/mayhem/et all.

If it works pretty well, this seems great to me: great for Spotify, great for the podcasters, great for listeners who would like to hear some podcasts but in their own supported languages (even if there are some translation errors). Hopefully competition moves Apple to come up with the same or better ASAP. Competition is always good.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zakarhino Avatar
29 months ago

any source about the android system implementation ?
None, I'm speculating this feature will be the next step up from the on device captions they already do. Apple added this last year or this year I think. Google have been doing it for years.

"All captions are processed locally, never stored, and never leave your device."

https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/9350862?hl=en
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
29 months ago

I cannot stand watching movies where non native speakers do voiceovers. I much prefer subtitles.

Since Podcasts have overall not created growth for Spotify I presume that at some point they might drop them.
OK and OK. Apparently this has no benefit for you. Last I checked, there are other people in the world. Perhaps it's something THEY might appreciate while Spotify continues to offer them?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)