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The Translator is a device that Xavier Riddle wears on his head which translates foreign languages. A running trope is that Xavier is confused by what people are saying and then Yadina reminds him to use it. He then uses his hand to adjust the dial until what they say is dubbed into English.
Instances of it being referenced in episodes include:
- In Egypt to talk to Cleopatra in I Am Cleopatra (Arabic)
- In Germany to talk to Johann Sebastian Bach in I Am Johann Sebastian Bach, Catherine the Great in I Am Catherine the Great, Albert Einstein in I Am Albert Einstein, William and Caroline Herschel in We Are William and Caroline Herschel, and Maria Sibylla Merian in I Am Maria Sibylla Merian (German)
- In Poland to talk to Marie Curie in I Am Marie Curie (Polish)
- In Japan to talk to Tomioka Tessai in I Am Tomioka Tessai and Junko Tabei in I Am Madam President (Japanese)
- In Italy to talk to Leonardo da Vinci in I Am Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo in I Am Michelangelo (Italian)
- In Russia to talk to Anna Pavlova in I Am Anna Pavlova (Russian)
- In Croatia to talk to Nikola Tesla in I Am Nikola Tesla (Croatian)
- In France to talk to Louis Pasteur in I Am Louis Pasteur, Jules Léotard in I Am Jules Léotard, and Louis Braille in I Am Louis Braille (French)
- In China to talk to Confucius in I Am Confucius (Mandarin)
- In North Dakota to talk to Sacagawea in I Am Sacagawea (Shoshone language)
- On Turtle Island to talk to Jigonsaseh in I Am Jigonsaseh (Seneca language)
- In Cuba to talk to Celia Cruz in I Am Celia Cruz (Spanish)
- In Morocco to talk to Ibn Batutta in I Am Ibn Batutta (Arabic)
- In India to talk to Rukmini Devi in I Am Rukmini Devi (Hindi)
- In Korea to talk to Sejong the Great in I Am King Sejong the Great (Korean)
- The translator was used twice in I Am Ruth Bader Ginsburg:
- The first time was in New York to talk to Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Yiddish)
- The second time was 33 years later to translate Ruth's "big lawyer words" into simple words that the time travel trio can understand. This is the first time that the translator is shown to work on English.
- In Austria to talk to Hedy Lamarr in I Am Hedy Lamarr (German)
- In Sicily, when it was an Ancient Greek colony, to talk to Archimedes in I Am Archimedes (Greek)
- In Bingwi Neyashi Anishinaabek to talk to Norval Morrisseau in I Am Norval Morrisseau (Anishinaabemowin language)
- However, the translator wasn’t used because Norval was bilingual, meaning he’s fluent in Anishinaabe and English.
- In Puerto Rico to talk to Roberto Clemente in I Am Roberto Clemente (Spanish)
- In New Mexico to talk to Esther Martinez in I Am Esther Martinez (Tewa language)
- In Greenland to talk to Matthew Henson's friend Ootah in I Am Matthew Henson (Kalaallisut language)
- This is the first episode where the translator isn't used on a historical figure.
Even though Brad Meltzer and Yadina Riddle aren't wearing his hoodie, they also seem to be able to understand what is spoken (and their dialogue is dubbed into English for the viewers) so it might be some kind of area effect.
This not only translates what the figures say, but also appears to do the reverse as well: they are able to understand what the Riddles (and Brad) are saying to them as well.
The speakers don't appear to notice that they are speaking any other kind of language, so it is likely that what is heard on the show (and to the travelers) is meant to be loyally happening within their own minds.
In I Am Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Yadina gets her own translator - her bracelets. She says "thank you," and it translates it into Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, and Danish.
