If you regularly use WhatsApp to message family or friends whose first language is different to your own, you’ll know that sometimes it can be frustrating when you can’t fully express what you mean, or know that they are struggling to.
In other situations, you may simply not understand what is being said, or can’t yourself work out how to put something. Meta-owned WhatsApp has decided to do something about it, announcing a new translation feature that’s rolling out now to Android and iPhone users of the app “gradually”, according to the firm.
The new feature will work by letting you long-press any message on WhatsApp sent in a different language to your own, and then tap ‘Translate’,
“Choose the language you want the message to be translated from or to, and download it to be saved for future translations,” WhatsApp said.
The tool will work in one-on-one chats, group chats and Channel updates. You’ll be able to read messages translated from English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian and Arabic at launch if you’re on Android, but iPhone users will get the feature with support for more than 19 languages. More languages will be added to each platform soon, according to WhatsApp.
In a separate and meaningful advantage, those on Android will be able to turn on automatic translation for an entire chat thread, meaning all incoming messages in that chat will also be translated. iOS WhatsAppers will have to make do with the long-press method for now.
This is an advantage as you won’t have to manually translate every single message someone sends you if you’re on Android.
WhatsApp said all translations “occur on your device where WhatsApp cannot see them”.
“We hope this feature helps break down language barriers and allows users to connect more deeply with loved ones and communities around the globe,” the firm said.
This feature comes amid a boom in AI translation tools being introduced by smartphone firms such as Samsung, Google and Apple. These software tools concentrate on translating conversations you’re having in real life with a person, using your phone as a device to translate the conversation on the screen for both parties, or to pipe a translation into your earbuds in some instances.
WhatsApp’s approach is necessarily different as a messaging platform, but it could help to ease communication between people in personal and business situations when there are obvious language barriers.