For anyone who yearns to engage in conversations with relatives and strangers all over the world, the myriad languages spoken by all manner of people create linguistic barriers that almost seem palpable. Google Translate has been working for years to help break those barriers down. With the recent release of version 7.12, it’s set to maybe revitalize those cross-cultural dialogues, with the deployment of some exciting new features, including a Face-to-Face mode.

Google started seeding Translate 7.12 earlier this week. Google app enthusiast AssembleDebug quickly took to the service formerly known as Twitter to share his insights into what’s new in this release. While not everything here is immediately going to be available to everyone, it looks like Google will start toggling these features on through server-side flags.

Among the visible alterations taking place, we’re getting a small UI tweak. The Conversation icon in the bottom-left will soon bow out, making room for Handwrite input. We also see the experience of using the mic button jazzed up with a spirited new animation.

Catering to the diverse palette of human conversations, from brief remarks to in-depth discussions, Translate is moving to seamlessly integrate that Conversation mode into a broader Speech section.

However, the pièce de résistance is undoubtedly the Face-to-Face mode. Picture this: two individuals, worlds apart in language, but using technology to bridge the gap. One speaks, and the other can instantly read the translated text, displayed upside down on the same screen, eliminating pauses and awkward silences. Out of all the new changes, this one feels like it has the most potential to finally let users converse effortlessly with distant relatives, sharing stories and laughter without any linguistic hitches.

Finally, auto playback will instantly vocalize translations after a user speaks, serving as both a clarifier and a pronunciation guide, and Google should be giving us automatic language detection for spoken input. Right now, we’re just waiting to see when we’ll get our hands on all of these new capabilities.