Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, announced that the Meta AI-powered Reels translation feature now supports Hindi and Portuguese. Introduced earlier this year in August, it can translate Reels into different languages without any additional steps. The update is also helpful for creators who want to increase their reach and connect with a wider audience. In a blog post, Meta says the feature uses the "sound and tone of your own voice so it feels authentically you", with the lip-syncing matching the mouth's movements to the translated audio. In a video, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that "most of the videos on Instagram are in a language you don't speak, but that doesn't mean you aren't interested in them." He then goes on to demo the feature by speaking in Hindi, Spanish, and Portuguese. Available for all Instagram public accounts and Facebook creators with more than 1,000 followers, Meta AI Translations can be turned off or on by creators, and they can also review or remove these translations whenever they want. Unlike YouTube's auto dubbing feature, which can only be disabled by the creator, Meta allows both creators and viewers to choose if they want to see a Reel in their native language or translate it. This can be done by tapping on the three-dot menu when watching a Reel, heading over to audio and language settings, and selecting the "Don't translate" option. As for creators, Meta says Facebook and Instagram creators will see a new "Translate your voice with Meta AI" option when uploading Reels, which can also be used to choose if you want to enable lip-syncing. When creators publish a translated Reel, they will see a breakdown of their views by language to help understand how the translations are performing. Meta says the feature works best with face-to-camera videos, where the mouth isn't covered and can translate for up to two speakers.
