How To Translate A Message On Iphone

To use conversation mode in the Translate app on your iPhone, you'll need to turn on the "Automatic Detection" feature.
In conversation mode, the app will translate between two languages automatically, without the user needing to switch the "From" and "To" languages.
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There's no shortage of third-party translation apps available for the iPhone. But starting with iOS 14, all iPhones now have their own default app, called Translate.

Like other translation apps, Translate lets you use your voice to translate, and also offers a "conversation mode." The conversation mode lets you translate both sides of a bilingual conversation, without needing to manually switch the origin and target languages.

How to use conversation mode in Translate on your iPhone

1. Start the Translate app on your iPhone.

2. At the top of the screen, tap the language box on the left (it'll probably be set to "English US" by default), and then select the language that you'll be speaking.

The top of the app screen shows the two languages which will be translated.

3. Staying on this page, scroll to the very bottom and make sure "Automatic Detection" is enabled by swiping the button to the right. Tap "Done."

How to use conversation mode in Translate on iPhone-2 To have a seamless conversation, be sure "Automatic Detection" is enabled.

4. Tap the language box on the right and select the other speaker's language, then tap "Done."

5. Turn the phone sideways so it switches to landscape mode. You should see two side-by-side text boxes with a microphone button at the bottom. If turning your phone doesn't do anything, make sure the orientation lock isn't on.

6. To use the app's conversation mode, tap the microphone and speak. The Translate app will automatically recognize the language being spoken and display what's been said on one side, and the translation on the other. There's no need to indicate which speaker is talking — you just have to tap the microphone before you start.

Each speaker should take turns tapping the microphone before talking.

7. If you want to hear the translated phrase a second time, tap the play button on the right.

Remember that this mode will only translate between the two selected languages. And if you want to use conversation mode without an internet connection, you'll have to download the language dictionaries you want beforehand.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

How to do a voice translation on your iPhone in 2 different apps, and even let it translate a full conversation
How to use Google Translate offline, so you can get accurate translations no matter where you are
How to use Gboard's translate feature on your iPhone to translate texts as you type them
How to translate a web page in Google Chrome on desktop or mobile
How to translate any webpage on your iPhone with a free browser extension, so you can read foreign websites and articles

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.