With this update, users will be able to translate messages written in different languages simply by pressing and holding the message and selecting the “Translate” option.
Users can choose the source and target languages for the translation and can also download language packs for future use. This feature is available in individual chats, group chats, and Channel updates.
For Android users, there is an additional advantage: they can enable automatic translation for an entire chat. In this case, all future messages in that chat will be translated automatically.
WhatsApp has stated that the translation process occurs on the user’s device, ensuring that messages remain encrypted. The company emphasizes that this new feature will help break down language barriers for over 3 billion users across more than 180 countries.
This move comes a few months after Apple added a live translation feature to its Messages app. The translation feature is being gradually rolled out for both Android and iPhone users.
It is worth noting that for Android, translation supports six languages (English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic), while for iPhone, it supports 19 languages (Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese). It is not yet known when WhatsApp will bring this feature to its web, Windows, and Mac applications.
