Corresponding on WhatsApp with speakers of foreign languages is about to become much less cumbersome. Until now, we had to rely on external solutions or on a long manual process: A long press on a message, selecting the "More" menu, and copying to a separate translation tool. Now, an exposure by the WABetaInfo website from the latest beta version of WhatsApp for iPhone (TestFlight) indicates that the app will begin to perform the task natively.
The new feature includes a dedicated toggle in the chat settings under the name "Translate messages". Once the option is enabled, every incoming message in the conversation will be automatically translated into the selected language. It will be possible to predefine the source language and the target language, which will allow managing a continuous conversation without leaving the interface. According to the information in the beta, the capability will not be limited only to private chats, but will also be available in groups – provided that all participants send messages in the same language.
A significant aspect of the update concerns maintaining privacy and end-to-end encryption. Instead of sending the texts to the cloud, WhatsApp will rely on Apple’s local language packs (on-device language packs). This means that the translation process is carried out on the device itself, and the information does not leave to external servers, which preserves the app’s familiar level of security.
The list of supported languages at this stage is broad and includes, among others, English, Arabic, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. However, for us Israelis there is a central reservation: As of now, the Hebrew language is not included in the beta version. Since the service relies on Apple’s translation capabilities, support for Hebrew within WhatsApp will be possible only if and when Apple adds it to its official translation app.
Although the feature has already been implemented in the code of the beta version, it is still not open to all testers. As is WhatsApp’s way, there is currently no official timetable for a full launch to the general public, and we will have to wait for the next updates to see whether the technology will become fully available to us.