“Ich bin ein Berliner,” I said recently, and despite my terrible German accent, I was understood.

I don’t speak German, but I was able to converse in the language thanks to a new translation gadget that fits in your ear. The Ambassador ($179) detects and automatically translates any spoken word it hears within 8 feet in 20 languages and 42 individual dialects.

In practice, the Ambassador listens to the words and then transcribes them into text in the accompanying iOS or Android smartphone app. The gadget comes with two earbuds, so you can each wear an Ambassador and have a near-real-time conversation. The company says that up to four Ambassadors can be wirelessly paired to a single smartphone, allowing groups of people who speak different languages to chat.

You can also connect the Ambassador to a speaker system, allowing you to speak and answer questions from an audience. The company claims you can expect around six hours of use per charge, and I found that to be backed up by real-world use.