What it is
An interpreter in your pocket
Tolk is an iPhone app for conversations in the same room. Pick two languages, start a session, and it listens to both people and speaks each side in the other language.
How Tolk works.
In plain terms.
Two languages, one phone on the table, and a translation that keeps what you meant. Here is exactly what happens, what it costs, and where it stops.
Get the app30 free minutes included
The facts
What Tolk is, and what it needs.
How it translates
Meaning first
Each sentence is transcribed, translated with the last few lines as context so tone, politeness and intent survive, and spoken out loud by a natural voice. Word-for-word apps lose the joke; Tolk keeps it.
Hands-free
One tap to start, then none
You tap the orb once. After that there is no mic button and no language switch. Put the phone between you and talk.
Languages
More than 50
Including Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Arabic, Hindi and Turkish. Both people choose their own language.
Price
30 free minutes
Every new account starts with 30 free minutes. After that a weekly pass or a yearly plan, both bought through the App Store and cancelled there.
Needs
An iPhone and a connection
iPhone with iOS 15.1 or later and an internet connection. The other person needs nothing. Tolk does not work offline.
See why hands-free matters on the hands-free translator page, or how Tolk compares to other translator apps.
Questions people ask
Short answers, no small print.
Does the other person need the app?
No. One phone is enough. Start a session, place the phone between you, and Tolk hears both languages and speaks both translations out loud.
How fast is it?
The translated voice starts about a second after you finish a sentence. Long sentences are translated as a whole, so pauses mid-sentence do not split your meaning.
Does it work offline?
No. Tolk needs a data connection. Most travelers use it with a local SIM or an eSIM.
Is Tolk the same as Bridgecall?
No. Tolk is for people in the same room. Bridgecall, made by the same team, translates video calls between people in different places and runs in the browser at bridgecall.app.
What is Tolk not built for?
Legal, medical or other high-stakes conversations, where a qualified human interpreter is the right choice. Tolk is built for travel, family, shops, taxis, hotels and everyday conversations.
Who makes Tolk?
Tolk is made by Voicelabs, a company in the Netherlands, and was built after too many literal mistranslations in Vietnam and Thailand.