With WhatsApp you will soon be able to instantly translate messages within chats. Just select a message written in a foreign language and activate the “Translate” option.
WhatsApp takes a step towards borderless communication by introducing instant message translations directly into chats. The announcement came from Mark Zuckerberg on his official channel and it will soon be possible to converse with anyone, effortlessly overcoming language barriers. In fact, you won’t need any external apps or additional tools: just select a message written in a foreign language and activate the “Translate” option, and then continue writing in your own language. An operation that may seem trivial, but which actually combines sophisticated artificial intelligence systems and attention to privacy.
How it works. The translation will work both in private chats and in groups and in Channel updates. On Android it will be possible to download language packs that will remain stored on the device, so that the text is translated without sending external data.
On iPhone, however, the app relies on Apple’s translation system. In both cases, the contents remain protected by “end-to-end” encryption, the encryption that also prevents WhatsApp from reading its users’ messages. There is also the possibility of customizing the settings: you can translate only one message at a time or activate the automatic translation of an entire conversation, making the exchange fluid in real time.
Privacy issue. There will also be differences between Android and Apple users when it comes to the language library. The former will be able to download and manage the packages for each language independently, deciding which ones to keep available and which to remove, at any time. For those who use iPhone, however, the large catalog of languages is already present in the Apple system. In this way, WhatsApp prevents the convenience of translations from turning into a risk for the confidentiality of personal data.
In Italian only on Apple. The rollout of the new feature will be gradual, and the possible combinations between languages will also be initially limited. Android users will start with six languages: English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian and Arabic, with new packages added in the future.
On iPhone, however, the initial offer is broader: over 19 languages will be immediately available. At the moment, however, the translation is not yet possible on the app of many iOS users, a sign that the complete distribution will also be gradual on the Cupertino systems, with the clear objective of gradually making WhatsApp an increasingly useful tool for breaking down not only distances, but also linguistic obstacles.
