Real-Time Voice Translator

A cross-platform desktop application built with Electron that provides real-time voice translation during voice calls. The application captures audio from microphones, translates speech in real-time, and outputs the translated audio through a virtual microphone that other applications can use.

🎯 Key Features

✅ WORKING TRANSLATION PIPELINE

• Real-time audio capture from selected microphone devices
• Speech-to-text processing using OpenAI Whisper API
• Text translation with OpenAI GPT models
• Text-to-speech synthesis using ElevenLabs API
• Virtual microphone output for integration with voice call applications
• Test mode that outputs audio to headphones for verification

🎮 User Interface

• Professional UI with modern design and animations
• Device selection (microphones with real-time detection)
• Language selection (20+ languages with flag icons)
• Voice selection from ElevenLabs voice library
• Settings modal for API key management
• Debug console for real-time monitoring
• Status indicators with visual feedback

⚙️ Configuration Management

• Persistent settings storage across app restarts
• API key validation and secure storage
• Device preferences with automatic detection
• Audio quality and processing settings

🚀 How Translation Works

Test Mode (Headphone Output)

1. Click "🧪 Test Translation"
2. Translates sample text: "Hello, this is a test" → Target language
3. Plays translated audio through your headphones/speakers
4. Perfect for testing the pipeline before going live

Real-Time Mode (Virtual Microphone)

1. Click "▶️ Start Translation"
2. Speak into your selected microphone
3. Audio is processed through the complete pipeline:
   • Audio Capture → Speech-to-Text → Translation → Text-to-Speech
4. Translated audio is sent to virtual microphone
5. Other apps (Zoom, Teams, Discord) can use the virtual microphone as input

Additional Test Features

• 🎧 Hear Yourself: Records 3 seconds from your mic and plays it back
• 📢 Test Virtual Mic: Sends test audio to virtual microphone for other apps

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• OpenAI API key (for speech-to-text and translation)
• ElevenLabs API key (for text-to-speech)
• Microphone access permissions

🛠️ Installation & Setup

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Build the Application

npm run build

3. Launch the Application

npm run dev:simple

4. Configure API Keys

1. Click "⚙️ Settings" button
2. Enter your OpenAI API key
3. Enter your ElevenLabs API key
4. Click "Save Settings"

5. Set Up Translation

1. Select microphone from dropdown
2. Choose target language (e.g., Spanish, French, etc.)
3. Pick a voice for text-to-speech output
4. Test the system using the test buttons

🔑 API Key Setup

OpenAI API Key

1. Go to https://platform.openai.com/
2. Create account and generate API key
3. Used for: Speech-to-text (Whisper) and Translation (GPT)

ElevenLabs API Key

1. Go to https://elevenlabs.io/
2. Create account and generate API key
3. Used for: Text-to-speech synthesis

🎮 Using the Application

Step 1: Test the Pipeline

🧪 Test Translation → Verifies complete translation pipeline
🎧 Hear Yourself → Tests microphone input (3-second recording)
📢 Test Virtual Mic → Tests virtual microphone output

Step 2: Start Real-Time Translation

▶️ Start Translation → Begins real-time processing
⏹️ Stop Translation → Stops processing

Step 3: Use with Other Applications

1. Open your video call app (Zoom, Teams, Discord, etc.)
2. Select "Virtual Microphone Output" as your microphone
3. Speak in your language → Others hear the translation
4. Monitor the debug console for real-time status

🏗️ Architecture Overview

Service Layer

• ProcessingOrchestrator: Manages the complete translation pipeline
• AudioCaptureService: Handles microphone input and audio processing
• TranslationServiceManager: Manages OpenAI translation requests
• TextToSpeechManager: Handles ElevenLabs voice synthesis
• VirtualMicrophoneManager: Manages audio output routing
• ConfigurationManager: Handles settings and API key storage

Audio Pipeline Flow

Microphone Input → Audio Capture → Speech-to-Text → Translation → Text-to-Speech → Virtual Microphone Output

Dual Output Modes

• Test Mode: Audio → System Speakers (for testing)
• Live Mode: Audio → Virtual Microphone (for other apps)

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues & Solutions

❌ "Microphone access denied"

• Solution: Grant microphone permissions in system settings
• Windows: Settings → Privacy → Microphone
• macOS: System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Microphone

❌ "API key validation failed"

• Solution: Verify API keys are correct and have sufficient credits
• Check OpenAI account: https://platform.openai.com/usage
• Check ElevenLabs account: https://elevenlabs.io/subscription

❌ "No audio output"

• Solution: Check virtual microphone setup
• Try "📢 Test Virtual Mic" button
• Verify other apps can see "Virtual Microphone Output" device

❌ "Translation not working"

• Solution: Use debug console to identify issues
• Click "Show Debug Console" to see real-time logs
• Verify all API keys are configured correctly

Debug Console

The debug console shows real-time information:

• API requests and responses
• Audio processing status
• Error messages and warnings
• Performance metrics

📁 Project Structure

src/
├── services/           # Core business logic
│   ├── ProcessingOrchestrator.ts      # Main pipeline coordinator
│   ├── AudioCaptureService.ts         # Microphone input handling
│   ├── TranslationServiceManager.ts   # OpenAI translation
│   ├── TextToSpeechManager.ts         # ElevenLabs TTS
│   ├── VirtualMicrophoneManager.ts    # Audio output routing
│   └── ConfigurationManager.ts        # Settings management
├── ui/                 # User interface components
├── ipc/               # Inter-process communication
├── types/             # TypeScript definitions
├── main.ts            # Electron main process
├── renderer.ts        # UI process
└── index.html         # Application interface

🚀 Development Commands

# Development with hot reload
npm run dev

# Simple development build and run  
npm run dev:simple

# Production build
npm run build

# Watch mode for development
npm run build:watch

# Clean build artifacts
npm run clean

# Run tests
npm test

🎉 Ready to Use!

The Real-Time Voice Translator is now fully functional with:

✅ Complete translation pipeline (Audio → Text → Translation → Speech → Output)
✅ Dual output modes (Test to headphones, Live to virtual microphone)
✅ Professional UI with real-time status monitoring
✅ Comprehensive testing tools for verification
✅ Persistent configuration with API key management

Start translating in real-time today! 🌍🎙️

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details