NotebookLM's Audio Overviews Now Speak Over 50 Languages, Powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro

Photo Credits: Matthias Balk/picture alliance

Google’s AI-powered note-taking and research assistant, NotebookLM, is significantly expanding the reach of its innovative Audio Overviews feature. Initially launched last year, Audio Overviews allow users to transform documents into engaging, podcast-style conversations hosted by AI voices. Now, this feature is available in over 50 new languages, aiming to break down communication barriers and make information more accessible globally.

A New Way to Digest Information

The core idea behind Audio Overviews is to provide an alternative method for understanding complex information. Instead of simply reading a dense document, users can now have an AI “host” summarize and discuss the key insights in a more digestible, conversational format. This expansion means a much larger audience can benefit from this approach, utilizing their preferred language for comprehension.

Controlling the Output Language

Previously, Audio Overviews were generated in the language set as your Google account’s preference. A key update introduces a dedicated “Output Language” option within NotebookLM’s settings. This gives users the flexibility to specify exactly which language the generated audio should be in, and the language can be changed at any time. This opens possibilities for creating multilingual study materials, translating content, or catering to diverse audiences.

Illustrative Example: A Lesson on the Amazon Rainforest

Google provides a practical example to highlight the potential impact. Imagine a teacher preparing a lesson about the Amazon rainforest. They could gather resources in multiple languages – a Portuguese documentary, a Spanish research paper, and English study reports. Students can then upload these materials to NotebookLM and generate an Audio Overview in *their* preferred language, ensuring everyone can access and understand the key takeaways.

A Growing List of Supported Languages

The list of supported languages is extensive and continuously growing. Some of the newly added languages include:

Afrikaans
Arabic
Azerbaijani
Bulgarian
Bengali
Catalan
Czech
Danish
German
Greek
Spanish (European, Latin American, Mexico)
Estonian
Basque
Persian
Finnish
Filipino
French (European & Canada)
Galician
Gujarati
Hindi
Croatian
Haitian Creole
Hungarian
Armenian
Indonesian
Icelandic
Italian
Hebrew
Japanese
Javanese
Georgian
Kannada
Korean
Konkani
Latin
Lithuanian
Latvian
Maithili
Macedonian
Malayalam
Marathi
Malay
Burmese (Myanmar)
Nepali
Dutch
Norwegian (Nynorsk & Bokmål)
Oriya
Punjabi
Polish
Pashto
Portuguese (Brazil & Portugal)
Romanian
Russian
Sindhi
Sinhala
Slovak
Slovenian
Albanian
Serbian (Cyrillic)
Swedish
Swahili
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Vietnamese
Chinese (Simplified & Traditional)

Powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro—and a Conversational Tone

This expansion is made possible by Gemini 2.5 Pro. Importantly, the AI-generated conversations maintain a natural, casual tone regardless of the language used. This isn't the robotic, monotone delivery often associated with AI voices. The AI “hosts” crack jokes, pause for effect, and offer moments of expressed amazement, making the listening experience far more engaging. One user even remarked on the joy of having research about ancient Rome explained in Latin.

Ongoing Development and Expansion

Google emphasizes that this is just the beginning. The current implementation is considered a “beta” version and will continue to be refined based on user feedback. The company has already expanded Audio Overviews to over 200 countries and is constantly adding new features, including the ability to “guide” the AI hosts and directly interact with them. This feature is also now available within Google’s Gemini AI chatbot and Google Docs, extending its reach beyond NotebookLM.

Accessibility and Pricing

With the recent announcement providing students access to Google's One AI Premium Plan, including NotebookLM Plus access at $20/month, the features of Audio Overview become more accessible, offering higher usage limits to this functionality, along with other premium offering from NotebookLM.