Why we built this
Houston is the most linguistically diverse city in America. Every day in Harris Health clinics, Houston ISD classrooms, construction sites in Katy, and taquerias in Gulfton — people who speak different languages need to actually talk to each other. Not through a phone held up to a screen. Not by waiting for a human interpreter who isn't available. In real time, face to face.
We wanted a translation app that worked the way a conversation does: both people speaking naturally, each hearing their own language privately, with the emotional texture of the original voice intact. That meant supporting every device people actually use — earbuds, smart glasses, bone conduction headphones, lapel mics, smart rings, and more. It meant building offline support deep enough to work in a hospital basement. It meant creating a voice AI that doesn't just translate words, but carries tone.
"Language barriers aren't just about words — they're about connection. A doctor explaining a diagnosis. A parent calming a scared child. A business conversation where trust is everything. The emotional texture of how something is said matters as much as what is said."
— Puente founding team, Houston TXWhat Puente does
Puente is a real-time AI voice translation app. You speak — it translates in under 2 seconds, in a voice that matches yours. Your conversation partner hears the translation on their device while you hear it on yours — earbuds, smart glasses, bone conduction, lapel mic, smart ring, or just a phone speaker. No typing. No screen-holding. Just talking.
- Multi-device support: Earbuds, smart glasses, bone conduction headphones, lapel mics, smart rings, Bluetooth speakers — Puente works with whatever you're wearing.
- Auto-detect mode: Hands-free. Puente detects who's speaking and what language they're using, translates automatically, no buttons.
- Tabletop mode: Phone face-up between two people. Everyone hears via speaker or Bluetooth.
- Remote mode: Two phones, anywhere on Earth. Six-digit code. Full duplex translation.
- Group mode: Up to 8 speakers, voice diarization, live captions in each person's language.
Privacy by architecture
We made a hard decision early: no accounts, ever. You open the app and start translating. No email. No login. No profile. That decision cascades into everything — your conversation history lives only on your phone, audio is processed and discarded, and nothing is sold to anyone because there's nothing to sell.
For the 8 offline languages, translation happens entirely on-device using Whisper AI. Zero data leaves the phone. That's not a marketing claim — it's the architecture.
Where we're based
Who uses Puente
Puente was designed for any situation where two people need to communicate across a language barrier in real time — face to face. Healthcare workers and patients. Teachers and families. Legal professionals and clients. Contractors and crews. Businesses serving multilingual customers. Travelers. Families.
For organizations — hospitals, clinics, schools, courts, government agencies — Puente offers bulk activation codes and organization pricing. One code activates Pro on any device in the organization. No IT complexity, no accounts, no data leaving the network.
Questions? Reach us at support@puente.chat · Press & Media · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service