How do you chat with people of different languages? Do you manually copy text to Google Translate to read and reply in your language? Perhaps you use Google Live Translate on your top Google Pixel device. What if you don't own a Pixel smartphone or copying and pasting text into Google Translate feels cumbersome?

Telegram has a built-in alternative that translates messages into the language you understand with a few taps. Unlike Google's solutions, Telegram supports translation across devices, be it on the mobile app or Telegram Web on one of the top Chromebooks. Connecting with your friends from the other side of the world is a breeze with Telegram's translation tool. Here's how to use it.

How to activate translations in Telegram

Telegram has a section for choosing your preferred language. You can activate message translation in the same section with the steps below.

We use an Android device in this tutorial. The process is the same in the iPhone app.

  1. Open the Telegram app.
  2. Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the upper-left corner of the homepage.
  3. Go to Settings.
  4. Open Language.
  5. Toggle on Show Translate Button.

How to exclude languages from translation

If you're multilingual, you may not need automated translations. The Telegram app lets you exclude your native language or those you're fluent in from the same settings menu.

  1. A new option called Do Not Translate appears after activating translation in Telegram using the steps above. Tap it.
  2. Use the checkboxes to mark the languages you don't want to be translated.

How to translate Telegram messages

With the translation feature activated in the app, it only takes a couple of taps to convert your messages in real time. It works whether you're in a private chat, group chat, or channel. Here's how you do it:

  1. Open a conversation, and tap the message you want to translate to open a pop-up menu.
  2. From the list of options, tap Translate to let the app automatically identify the message language.
  3. The message is translated into English (or the default language you use Telegram in).
  4. Tap Close Translation when you're done to go back to the chat thread and continue messaging.

Unlock more translation features with Telegram Premium

You get a few extra perks and access new features when you subscribe to Telegram Premium. You can automatically translate all messages in a particular chat instead of translating individual messages. It works in real time.

You'll see a new option called Translate Entire Chats under the language settings (shown in the steps above). When it's activated, chats that aren't in your native language show an option to translate them or change basic settings, like the translation language, at the top of the window.

Telegram for Android is trailing its iOS counterpart

While the Telegram app for Android and iOS added this nifty translation option, the iPhone version offered more features from the get-go, which the Android app is just now getting. For instance, Telegram for Android lets you change the translation language from the chat window, which the iOS app could do earlier.

You can copy the translated text with a long press, but the iOS app offers a direct button to do that with a single tap. One area where both platforms lag is the list of supported languages. Telegram translates to over two dozen languages but has some omissions, like Hindi, which Google, Telegram's translation services provider, supports, among other Indic languages.

Telegram can't replace the original text with translation while typing. This isn't new to iPhone users who use the in-app translation feature in iMessage. However, Telegram's offering is better than WhatsApp, which has nothing.

Privacy may be a concern

Google Translate is among the most reliable translators on the internet (though Bing is catching up). Telegram's partnership with the search giant means your messages go through Google's servers to be translated. You can stop using the feature if you don't want a third party accessing your messages.

We would have liked to see an iPhone-like implementation where translation happens entirely offline, adding an extra layer of privacy. But that isn't possible. Instead, avoid running sensitive messages through Telegram's translation option while continuing to use the feature for other texts.

Do more with Telegram

Telegram is the richest messaging app among its peers. Besides this built-in translation tool, it has some of the best emojis and stickers. You can share large files, use spoiler styling, send secret messages, use ChatGPT for AI assistance in any chat or group, and do more to keep your chats safe and secure. Telegram also has a premium tier that unlocks more features and raises the files and group limits for a small monthly fee. If you think you're a power Telegram user, Telegram Premium is made for you.