WhatsApp launches real-time message translation feature

On Thursday, 24 September, WhatsApp unveiled a new feature that lets users translate messages in real time, facilitating multilingual communication. With billions of users, WhatsApp's functionality attempts to break down linguistic and cultural boundaries. 

A user only needs to long-press on the message and select "Translate" from the drop-down menu if they receive a communication in a foreign language. Additionally, users will have the ability to store the translated message. Group conversations, private chats, and channel updates can all use this new functionality.

WhatsApp revealed in a blog post that its new Message Translations tool is compatible with channel updates, group chats, and individual chats. Both iOS and Android smartphones are now receiving it. English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic are the six languages that Android's Message Translations functionality supports.

How to translate messages on WhatsApp

Manual Translation of a Single Message

1. Open the Chat
   Go to the chat containing the message you want to translate.

2. Long-Press the Message
   Tap and hold the message until a menu appears.

3. Tap on "Translate"
   A new Translate option will be visible, tap on it.

4. Choose the Language
   Select the language you want to translate from or to.

5. Download Language Pack (if needed)
   If this is your first time using that language, WhatsApp will prompt you to download a language pack. Approve the download.

6. View the Translation
   Once the language pack is installed, the message will be translated instantly.

WhatsApp said that Android users can also enable automatic translations for an entire chat thread, so that all of the future incoming messages will be automatically translated, without requiring manual intervention.

The company emphasised that Message Translations is designed to protect the privacy of chats and the process happens on-device, where not even WhatsApp can read the contents of the conversations.

Its release expands on a number of AI-powered WhatsApp updates in recent months. Writing Help, which uses Meta AI to provide users personalized writing recommendations based on the original text, was introduced by the messaging app. The AI-powered writing assistance will offer suggestions for improvement, such as new tones and styles, once they have drafted a simple sentence.