Hajra Naz
How many languages can you speak? Sure, you might know common words like “adios” or “namaste,” but what if you get a long message in Spanish, German, or Chinese in a group chat? WhatsApp has a solution for that.
According to the reliable website WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on an update that will translate all chat messages. This feature will use language packs, and users will get a notification saying, “Read your messages in your preferred language.” You can then turn on a switch so all new messages in the selected chat will be translated.
This means that if you’re reading a chat mostly in another language, you won’t need to copy messages into a translation app to understand them.
This feature will be useful in many situations. For example, if your local housing association’s WhatsApp group mostly uses Spanish, you won’t have to guess the meaning of words anymore.
Immediately, message translation during a conversation will assist in maintaining the flow of communication and make it easier for users to understand and answer in real time, according to WABetaInfo. WhatsApp appears to be dedicated to improving this functionality, even though the product is still in development, by adding more options for automatic translation.
This feature has been seen in a beta version of the app for Android devices, and, likely, WhatsApp is also working on it for iPhone.
It was previously reported that this technology was based on Google’s live translation, but that no longer seems to be the case. According to the source, ”it appears that WhatsApp is actually developing its in-house technology to support message translation.” Because their solution will process communications on-device, this strategy maintains end-to-end encryption, which is advantageous for users. In order to translate messages, WhatsApp must download a few language packs.
This method is more secure and makes it easier for iPhone and Android users to interact.
It is not yet clear if only incoming messages will be translated to your preferred language or if replies will also be translated in the other direction.
