Hello to Namaste? WhatsApp Will Soon Let Users Translate Chat Messages

WhatsApp appears to be testing a new feature that would let users translate messages from one language to another in chats. This could help users living in different parts of India or the world interact with each other in individual or group chats without needing a common language. For instance, sending “hello” could be “namaste” for someone who reads and writes in Hindi on their phone.

Spotted in the latest WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.25.12.25 (via WABetaInfo), the feature is tucked into the new Translation settings. Once activated, WhatsApp will prompt users to choose from a list of supported languages, such as Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Arabic. Once a user chooses a language, WhatsApp will download the language pack for the translation feature to work. Alternatively, users can also choose to allow WhatsApp to download a pack by automatically detecting the language of incoming messages. The report said it could help group participants understand each other better.

The “translate” functionality will be available from the chat info screen. According to the report, users can choose a language they want messages to be automatically translated into on a chat basis. In other words, different chats can have different language translation settings. Users can disable the translation feature from the same chat info screen. The downloaded language packs are part of WhatsApp’s storage and can be deleted from that setting.

Users worried about the privacy of their messages during translations can rest free. The report said all translations happen on-device, with no data being sent to WhatsApp’s or third-party servers. The technology uses the same framework as WhatsApp’s transcription tool, which means translations cannot always be accurate because they do not use the internet.

WhatsApp’s translation feature is currently in testing and available only to select beta testers. While the report said a wider rollout within the beta channel will take place over the coming weeks, there is no word on when the feature will come to all users.

Read more: What is Instagram Blend and How Does It Work?