WhatsApp translation feature coming
WhatsApp has officially announced the translation feature in a blog post. This means the rollout of the new feature is imminent. The new translation feature will allow users to choose which language they want to read messages in. Ideal if you need to communicate with others in a different language. The feature comes from WhatsApp itself and is thus different from the app translation feature that may pop up on a Pixel smartphone.
How WhatsApp's translation feature works is simple. You hold down a message in another language, and choose the 'Translate' option. You then choose the language you want to read the message in and download the language to use for future translations. You can use the translations for personal chats, group conversations and channel updates. On Android, WhatsApp will have the ability to enable automatic translation for an entire chat thread, so that new messages will also open in the other language immediately.
WhatsApp stresses that the translations happen on your device. This way, your privacy is protected. As of now, the functionality is being rolled out, though it will be first in English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian and Arabic languages. Other languages will follow later, but it is not known when, for instance, Dutch, French and German will be added. Apple iPhone users are luckier, as the functionality works in 19 languages right away there; including Dutch, French, Polish, Turkish and German.
