AI call translation

What it is#

A guest calls and speaks a language your employee doesn't know — or your employee calls a tourist. AI call translation translates such a call both ways, during the conversation: the guest hears the employee in their own language, and the employee hears the guest in theirs.

It is not the employee's phone that translates, but the location's PBX (Google's Gemini Live Translate model). That is why translation works with any device: the Cenaly Phone app, a SIP desk phone and a browser call. The speaker's original voice is turned down so it doesn't get in the way, and the translation is heard only by the person it is meant for: while it plays, the PBX does not let it leak back to the other party, even if the listener is on speakerphone.

If the other party switches to the employee's language, translation pauses and both hear each other as is. Once they speak their own language again, translation resumes by itself.

Where the owner turns it on#

"Telephony" → the "Call recording" section → the "🌐 Call translation" block:

"Allow call translation" — off by default. While it is off, employees have no translation button.
"Who can turn it on" — "All employees with an extension" or "Only selected positions". The owner can always turn it on.
"The other party's original voice while the translation plays" — "Lower the volume (recommended)", "Turn off" or "Leave as is". "Lower the volume" turns the original noticeably down while the person speaks a language other than the listener's and while the translation plays; "Turn off" almost silences it for that time.
"Warn the other party" — when translation is turned on, the guest hears "This conversation is translated by AI" in their language. On by default.
"Monthly limit, $" — how much this location may charge to the AI balance for translation per month. Empty — no limit.
Below the form — the price per minute and "Charged this month".

The employee's language#

The language the guest's speech is translated into for the employee (and the one the employee's own speech is translated from) is set in the employee's card: "Staff" → the employee → "Language for call translation". If not chosen, the employee's interface language is used. The *88 code on a desk phone uses this language; in the app it is the default the employee can change.

How to turn it on in Cenaly Phone#

During the call, tap "More" → "Live translation" — the "Translate this call" sheet opens.
Check "My language" — the language you speak.
"Other person's language" defaults to "Detect automatically": until the guest's first phrase the sheet says "Will be detected from the first phrase", then "Detected: ". If you know the guest's language, choose it right away — it is more accurate.
Turn on "Translate". If the owner kept the warning, the guest hears "This conversation is translated by AI".

Below the call you'll see "Translating · " and the guest's latest translated phrase. You can change the language mid-call — translation rebuilds in about a second. There are 78 languages, sorted by number of speakers, with search and recent languages on top. You can always turn a running translation off.

Translation is available in Cenaly Phone for Android, iOS and Windows.

How to turn it on on a desk phone#

During the call, dial *88 — translation turns on: your language comes from your employee card, and the guest's language is detected from their first phrase. Dial *88 again to turn translation off. The rules are the same as in the app: the owner must allow translation, and your position must be on the list of those who can turn it on.

Automatically per line (trunk)#

If a number is almost always called in a foreign language — a dedicated line for foreign hotel guests, a number on your website for English-speaking customers, a line from a partner abroad, a GSM gateway with a foreign SIM card — you don't have to turn translation on by hand: the phone system turns it on itself as soon as an employee answers an incoming call on that line.

Where to set it up: "Telephony" → "Phone providers" → open the line → the "Settings" tab → the "🌐 Call translation" section → "Save". In the section:

"Translate incoming calls automatically" — the main switch.
"Callers’ language" — the first option is "Detect automatically". Choose a language if callers mostly speak one: then the guest hears the translation of your greeting right away, the "This conversation is translated by AI" warning plays in their language, and the employee sees "English — translation will turn on by itself" on the incoming call screen before answering. If the guest speaks another language, translation adjusts by itself.
"Turn off when translation isn’t needed" (on by default) — if the caller says two phrases in a row in the employee's language, translation turns off until the end of the call and no money is spent.
Below the section — the price, a cost estimate from this line's call log for the last 30 days, the location's monthly limit and 7-day statistics: how many times translation started, how many times it didn't and why, and how many times it was turned off as unneeded. The line gets a "🌐 EN" badge in the provider list.

Good to know:

Translation starts when a person with an extension answers: the voice menu, the queue, the AI receptionist and voicemail are not translated.
The same location policy is required: "Allow call translation" in the "Call translation" block. The "Who can turn it on" list doesn't apply to automatic translation — any employee who answers gets it.
In Cenaly Phone this translation is labelled "Turned on by the trunk settings". It can always be turned off — with the button or *88 — and the phone system won't turn it on again in that call.
If the call is transferred to a colleague, translation starts for them too — in their language.
Translation doesn't start if the employee's language matches the line's language, the AI balance or the location's limit has run out, the phone system already runs 8 translations, or its firmware isn't updated (the section then shows an "Update PBX" button). The call goes on as usual.

How much it costs#

Translation is paid from the account's AI balance: about $0.22 per minute of two-way translation (the model costs about $0.07 per minute, charged ×3). This is the price as of October 2026; the model is in preview and the price may change — the exact figure is always shown in the "Call translation" block and in the app's translation sheet. Spending is visible in the account's AI spending. To keep translation from eating the balance, set a "Monthly limit".

Why there is no "Live translation" button#

Checked in this order:

The account is on cenaly.ru — there is no translation: Google's model is not available from the Russian cloud, and Yandex has no model that translates speech.
The owner hasn't allowed translation in the "Call translation" block.
You don't have your own extension at this location.
Your position isn't on the list "Who can turn it on".
The location runs on the shared PBX — translation only works on a dedicated one.
The PBX firmware can't translate — the owner updates the PBX in the same block.

Three more cases don't hide the item — it is there, but the switch is unavailable and the reason is shown below it:

"Not enough AI balance. Top it up in the admin panel."
"This month's translation limit for the location is used up."
"The phone system doesn't see this call yet. Try again in a few seconds." — this happens in the first seconds after answering.

Translation quality#

We tested translation on synthesized speech in eight languages (Russian, English, Spanish, Turkish, Georgian, Chinese, Arabic, German). In 95% of cases the translation starts playing less than one and a half seconds after the phrase, and in the test it always played in the right language. But the meaning is not always preserved: the model most often gets names, amounts and currencies, and strings of digits (phone numbers, booking numbers) wrong. Georgian is translated less well than the other languages.

Tips:

Repeat important numbers — a booking number, an amount, a phone number — or confirm them by message.
If the guest's language was detected wrongly (this happens with similar languages and strong accents), choose it manually.
Take turns speaking and avoid long pauses mid-sentence — when speakers switch quickly, the translated voice may "drift".

Audio, warning and storage#

While translation is on, the call audio is sent to Google — just like with the agent assist and the AI receptionist.
The guest hears the warning in their language (in English — "Please note: this call is being translated by AI.") unless the owner turned it off. If the guest's language is detected automatically, the phrase is played in the language of the location's country.
Translated phrases are kept in the call log under the same retention rules as agent assist transcripts.
Translation doesn't turn on call recording: recording follows its own settings.

Limitations#

Only the location's dedicated PBX and only accounts in the AWS cloud (no translation on cenaly.ru).
No more than 8 translated calls at once on one PBX and no more than an hour of translation in one call. The call itself is not interrupted.
The model translates speech only and doesn't know the venue's menu, prices or rules.
If translation breaks, the call goes on without it and the original volume comes back. The app shows "Translation error — tap to retry".

FAQ#

Will the guest hear that AI is translating the call?#

Yes, unless the owner turned off "Warn the other party": when translation is turned on, the guest hears a phrase like "Please note: this call is being translated by AI." in their language.

Can I translate a call from a desk phone?#

Yes. Dial *88 during the call — translation runs on the PBX, not in the phone, so any device works.

Does translation turn on call recording?#

No. Call recording follows its own settings; translation neither turns it on nor off.

Why is there no button even though the owner turned everything on?#

Check that the location is on a dedicated PBX with updated firmware, that you have your own extension, and that your position is on the "Who can turn it on" list. The full list of reasons is in "Why there is no "Live translation" button".