OpenAI’s ChatGPT translator challenges Google Translate

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Translate, a standalone web translation tool that supports over 50 languages and is positioned as a direct competitor to Google Translate. The two services look visually similar: both feature two text boxes — one for typing or pasting the source text, and another that displays the translated results — alongside dropdown menus to manage which languages you’re translating to or from.

There are some notable differences, however. Google Translate allows users to upload images, documents, and even websites for translation alongside the usual text inputs. The ChatGPT Translate homepage notes that it can translate from text, images, and voice, but image support isn’t available yet on any version of the service. The desktop website only supports translating from text, while mobile browsers allow you to use either text or your device’s microphone. OpenAI’s service also includes some additional presets to direct the style of the completed translation too, such as “translate this and make it more business formal.”

The regular ChatGPT chatbot has supported translation features for years, so this is just OpenAI releasing that as a dedicated web service. There’s currently no sign of a ChatGPT Translate app on Apple or Google’s app stores, unlike Google Translate, which is available as both a website and app. OpenAI has not made any announcement about the release or confirmed which AI model is powering the translation tool.