How to use WhatsApp real-time message translation feature

WhatsApp

WhatsApp has rolled out a new real-time message translation feature to help users communicate across languages without leaving the app. The update works in personal chats, groups, and Channel updates, allowing users to translate incoming messages instantly. On Android, there is also an option to enable automatic translations for an entire chat thread.

1. Update WhatsApp

Go to Google Play or the App Store and install the latest version of WhatsApp to ensure the feature is available.

2. Find a message in another language

Open the chat, group, or Channel where the message appears.

3. Long-press the message

Press and hold the message until the options menu shows up.

4. Tap “Translate”

Select Translate from the menu. WhatsApp will display the translated text inline.

5. Choose language and download if prompted

Pick the language you want to translate from or to. If a language pack is required, download it for faster offline use.

6. Enable automatic translation (Android only)

After translating, Android users can toggle Automatic translation for this chat, ensuring all future incoming messages are translated automatically.

7. Read and repeat as needed

Translations appear within the chat. If auto-translate is not enabled, repeat the process for new messages.

• Supported regions (spotlight countries): WhatsApp is gradually rolling out the translation feature to users across countries such as India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and many more listed under the supported rollout regions.

• Supported languages (system languages): At launch, the feature supports a wide set of languages including Arabic, Bangla, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (multiple regions), Finnish, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Korean, Lithuanian, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Norwegian, Odia, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish (Latin America, Spain, U.S.), Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

This makes the feature widely accessible, especially in multilingual countries like India, where it covers key regional languages such as Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, and Odia.