GrandkinsTamil–English family video calls, translated as you talk
What a family call in Tamil and English sounds like
This is the kind of thing families actually say, and what each side hears:
For Tamil in-laws, too
Not every Tamil family call is grandparent and grandchild. When you marry into a Tamil-speaking family, every conversation with your mother-in-law tends to run through your spouse. On Grandkins the two of you talk directly: you in English, she in Tamil, each hearing the other in your own language. More on that: talking with in-laws who speak a different language.
How it works
- Live translated video calls. One-to-one or the whole family. Everyone speaks normally; each person hears the others in their own language a moment later, with captions.
- Translated messages. Voice, video and text messages arrive in Tamil for Paati and in English for the kids, as text and as a spoken translation.
- Any phone, any country. Paati in Chennai, the grandkids in Toronto, an uncle in Singapore: everyone uses the same app over Wi-Fi or mobile data, so there are no international calling rates.
- Not just Tamil and English. Any pairing of 36 languages works, so a Tamil-speaking grandparent can talk with a Spanish-speaking in-law too.
Read a Tamil picture book together
Tap Book during a call and pick one of 62 picture books for ages 2 to 9. 61 of the 62 books have Tamil text, and all of them are in English and Spanish, so Paati can read in Tamil while the kids follow in English. You both see the same page and the pages turn together. The books come from StoryWeaver by Pratham Books.
Common questions
Can Paati use it if she doesn’t read English?
The app’s buttons are in simple English, so someone may need to show her once. After that, answering is one tap, the phone can say out loud who’s calling, and calls can pick up by themselves while the app is open if you turn that on. Everything the family says reaches her in Tamil, spoken aloud and as captions.
How does Paati join?
She installs the same Grandkins app as everyone else, on iPhone or Android, taps "Join my family" and types the 6-letter code you send her. No email, no password. If you’re not with her, read her the code over an ordinary phone call.
Does it translate Tamil into languages other than English?
Yes. Grandkins translates between any two of its 36 languages: English; ten Indian languages (Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi and Urdu); and Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Burmese, Khmer, Nepali and Swahili.
Are calls recorded?
No. Calls are never recorded. The written words of each call are kept in your family’s Memories, and anyone can turn Memories off during a call.
How much does it cost?
Starter is $9.99 a month or $99 a year with 100 translated minutes a month; Family is $14.99 a month or $149 a year with 200; Family Plus is $19.99 a month or $199 a year with 300. One plan covers up to 15 people, and every family starts with a free trial: 14 days or 60 translated minutes, whichever comes first.
Try it with your own family
Setup takes a few minutes: add your family, pick each person's language, and send each of them a 6-letter code. Plans start at $9.99 a month for the whole family, and every family starts with a free trial of 14 days or 60 translated minutes.
Start your family's free trial