Liao - A cross-language chat assistant that brings people closer

Hi Product Hunt 👋

We built Liao for people whose closest relationships cross a language line: a daughter in Taipei who leaves instructions for her mother's Indonesian caregiver on LINE, couples and in-laws who don't share a first language, parents trying to follow their kid's school group in another language, friends who met abroad.

Translation apps get the words across. What's harder is the rest: noticing that "it's fine" isn't fine, remembering that her mother had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and finding a warm way to say "thank you for taking care of her" instead of a stiff, word-for-word sentence.

Liao is an assistant that sits next to the chat apps you already use (WhatsApp, LINE, Telegram and more, on Windows):

• It helps you understand what the other person means, with a short note when a message says more than its words.

• It remembers the things they care about (an exam, a birthday, a medicine schedule) so you can ask about them next time. Memories are stored only on your computer, and you can clear them any time.

• When you're not sure how to say something, it offers a few ways to put it in your own tone. Before anything goes out, you can check a back-translation of exactly what you're sending.

• Every incoming message is translated underneath, and what you type is translated when you press Enter.

You choose what to send and you press Send yourself, every time. Liao never sends anything on its own and never messages anyone for you.

Honest limits: Windows 10/11 only for now. New accounts get 50,000 free characters; after that you buy character packs (no subscription, credit never expires). Payment is currently in USDT only, which we know is a hurdle.

We'd love to hear who you talk to across a language gap, and what's hardest about it.

(Listing text drafted with help from an AI assistant.)