Bonjour! Google launches new ‘Babel Fish’ translator earphones

Science fiction has become reality after Google announced a new next-gen set of earphones that offer a real-time translation service.

The earphones, dubbed the Google Pixel Buds, feature a remarkable auto-translate service that Google claims will allow two people to speak to each other in different languages, face to face.

This feature bears a resemblance to the Babel Fish - a living translation device - in Douglas Adams's classic Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy novels.

The wireless earbuds were unveiled alongside Google's new smartphone, the Pixel 2.

Tech website The Verge, which previewed the devices, said the translation facility was activated on the person asking for help.

However, would-be multi-linguists be warned - the buds require a Pixel 2 phone to work.

The Pixel Buds will be out in November this year.