[Ryan__T]

My grandma speaks Mandarin and I barely know enough to get by. I was looking at the SonaBuds for basic conversation stuff when I visit her. Does the two-way translation actually work for that kind of thing or is it more for travel phrases? Also does the app need wifi the whole time or is it fine once it’s set up?

[Susan Keller]

I would not count on the offline mode for Mandarin. I tried it with my in-laws and it either lagged or just didn’t pick up the right words until I turned wifi back on. The two-way thing is decent for short back and forth, but long stories from my grandma got chopped up.

[Tom in NYC]

The two-way mode is really for short back-and-forth stuff, not sitting around chatting for an hour. It handles basic questions fine but gets confused once people start talking over each other. Mine needed the app open on my phone the whole time even for the downloaded language pack.

[Chris Reed]

I don’t think it’s fair to say two way mode is only for short travel phrases. My parents are from Guangzhou and I use these with them for actual conversations, not just “where is the bathroom” stuff. We talk about normal daily things, what they ate, what’s going on with relatives, stuff like that. It’s not perfect and you do have to pause sometimes when someone rambles, but calling it travel phrase only is selling it short. My mom talks a lot and it mostly keeps up.

As for the wifi thing, I usually set up the language pack before I go over so it’s on the phone already. When I’ve tried it without any signal it’s hit or miss, sometimes fine, sometimes it just freezes up. So I wouldn’t fully trust offline but you’re not glued to wifi either. Not sure why it’s inconsistent like that, maybe it depends on the phone.

[Mike Steel]

The two-way thing works okay if you both keep sentences short. My mom and I tried it and it was fine for basic stuff but useless once she started telling a story. For wifi, it needs a connection unless you downloaded the Mandarin pack ahead of time, and even then it’s hit or miss.

[Lisa Hydrow]

I got these mainly for chatting with my grandma too, and the two-way mode actually handles normal conversation fine as long as you both speak at a steady pace. It’s way more than just travel phrases in my experience. As for wifi, the app works over Bluetooth, so you don’t need to stay connected the whole time.

[Jade Writes]

Needs internet for Mandarin in my experience.

[Priya Shah]

I prefer the phone app over earbuds for real chats.

[Chris Writes]

Works fine over bluetooth, mine never needs wifi.

[Max Connor]

I don’t think wifi is as big a deal as people make it out to be. Downloaded the Mandarin pack once and it’s been fine at my parents’ place where the signal is garbage. Quality takes a small hit but it still gets the job done.

[HarperL]

For basic chatting with your grandma, the two-way mode is honestly what it’s made for, it’s not just travel phrases. I used mine with my aunt who only speaks Cantonese and we had a normal back and forth conversation, just keep sentences on the shorter side. The app works over bluetooth so it doesn’t live on wifi, though I usually have my phone data on anyway.

[Elena Voss]

Mandarin offline is the part I’d actually question. Mine needed a connection for it even though I’d grabbed the pack beforehand, so if her place has dead wifi, test that before you count on it.

[Mike Casio]

I picked up a pair mainly for music and calls, the translation thing was kind of an afterthought. Used them with my wife’s family who speak Cantonese and some Mandarin. First couple weeks I thought the two-way mode was actually pretty slick. You tap, talk, it spits out the other language. Felt like living in the future or whatever.

Then it wore off. The delay gets old fast when you’re actually trying to have a normal conversation. You say something, wait, they hear it, they respond, wait again. My father in law just started talking over the earbuds after a while because he got tired of the pause. That killed the whole point.

The app side of it is what I use now. Just pass the phone back and forth. Sounds clunky but it moves quicker and nobody has to wear anything. The earbuds sit in the case most days.

Not saying don’t get them for your grandma, but I went in expecting one thing and ended up using them totally differently. If you’re picturing sitting there having a flowing chat with the buds in, that’s not really how it plays out. It’s more like a tool you pull out for a sentence or two, then put away. Which is fine, just not what the videos make it look like.

[Linda Morris]

The two-way mode is the part I’d actually trust for that. I’ve used mine for short back and forth with my in-laws and it handled normal conversation way better than I expected, not just set phrases. The app does need to be open on your phone though, so plan on having it out.

[Tom_Craig]

Two-way mode is fine for short chats but it falls apart with older relatives who mumble or talk fast. I tried it with my mother in law and gave up after a week, just went back to nodding and guessing. Calling your grandma is a different story though, no wifi needed once the pack is on your phone.

[Sam West]

The two-way mode is more for quick back and forth than travel phrases, so it should fit basic chats. I’d still keep sentences short with her. The app setup needs a phone nearby, but it doesn’t seem to need wifi constantly after that.

[Paul Graves]

The app works fine with just Bluetooth once you’ve got the language pack downloaded. I used it at my parents’ place where the wifi is basically nonexistent and it still translated for me. You just have to remember to grab the pack before you go.

[Ryan__T]

Fine, I’ll just try it and see.

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