WhatsApp It is the most used messaging application in the world and, although it continually adds new features, in some aspects it falls behind others, such as skype either Meetwhich don’t have such a massive user base. One of them is the machine translation which, to the congratulations of the more than 2,000 million users covering all nationalities and languages, is currently in development.
The media specialized in WhatsApp WABetainfo has published news about this development whose existence was known last July and which already seems closer to reaching all users. The application will be able to automatically translate all messages that arrive in a chat and channel updatesso that language will no longer be a barrier to communicating with other people or following channels from anywhere in the world.
How will WhatsApp carry out translations while respecting privacy?
One of the virtues of WhatsApp is its end-to-end encryption that prevents third parties, including WhatsApp, from knowing the content of the messages. A translation system in the cloud is incompatible with maintaining that encryption, so the translations will be done locally on the user’s device, ensuring their privacy.
This will require that download the language packs necessary for translations to your mobile. When the translation is run locally, the feature will be available when the device do not have an internet connection.
📝 WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.26.9: what’s new?
WhatsApp is working on a feature to translate chat messages and channel updates, and it will be available in a future update!https://t.co/GJ5tGESJGXpic.twitter.com/7EiYVEMpnc
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) December 12, 2024
The screenshots published by WABetainfo, corresponding to the beta for Android 2.24.26.29show how the option should activate chat by chat or channel by channelnot in a general way for all WhatsApp content. Next to the options to choose which language is translated and which, a slider allows you to activate the option ‘Translate all new messages in this chat’ or ‘Translate all new updates in this channel’, which indicates that the feature will not be retroactive and will only affect new messages and updates once it is released.
In this menu of options to enable translation, WhatsApp informs that ‘translations are made to be useful, but may not always be accurate’and another similar notice for channel translations. This alert of possible inaccuracies is due to the fact that the translation is carried out offline with the corresponding language pack previously downloaded, Therefore, occasional errors and inaccuracies may occur.. It’s the toll for maintaining end-to-end encryption and user privacy.
At the moment, it is unknown when development of this new capability will be completed and available to all users.