How do I translate in WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a fast way to communicate with friends, family, and coworkers. Sometimes, we have to communicate with people in a language we are unfamiliar with. It can be a pain to jump between WhatsApp and a translation website or app—breaking the flow of the conversation.
Fortunately, Mate Translate allows you to translate words and phrases quickly within WhatsApp. Copy any message as you normally would and share it to the Mate Translate extension in the share sheet. Mate will open in a lightweight window on top of WhatsApp where you'll be able to translate to any language and back to your native language. Once you have the word or phrase you need to continue your conversation, close the Mate window and you'll find yourself back in WhatsApp. Send your translated message without interruption.
If you've been learning the language that you're chatting in or are partially fluent, you may get by with a few prompt phrases. General greetings and answers are enough to communicate in many cases where you need to get a brief point across. To recall prompts and common phrases for use in WhatsApp, Mate has a personal Phrasebook.
Using Mate Phrasebook with WhatsApp
When you have a WhatsApp conversation that involves frequent translation, saving phrases to a list can help with memorization and cutting down on translator use in general. Translate a word or sentence with Mate in your WhatsApp conversation, then click the + button next to the translation in the Mate window. You'll be asked to create or choose a word list. Make a list called "WhatsApp" or "Conversations". Once you fill up this list with phrases you commonly use, open Mate and click the book icon in the top left corner to study up. The more you use this feature, the less you'll need to translate at all.
Starting the conversation with hello in 20 different languages
Even if you need a translator for the rest of your conversation in WhatsApp, knowing how to say hello is an easy piece to commit to memory and will make starting every conversation simple as ever. You'll pick up colloquial terms over time, but we've prepared how to start your WhatsApp conversation in 20 languages:
The first bullet is formal and the second is informal
- Portuguese
- Olá
- Oi
- Danish
- Goddag
- Hej, Halløj
- Dutch
- Goedendag
- Hoi, Hallo
- Hebrew
- Shalom
- Hey
- Swahili
- Shikamoo
- Habari, Hujambo
- Hindi
- Namaste, Namaskar
- Hai, Helo
- French
- Bonjour
- Salut
- Swedish
- God dag
- Hej, Tjena
- Arabic
- Asalaam alaikum
- Ahlan
- Greek
- Yassas
- Yassou
- Indonesian
- Selamat siang
- Halo
- Chinese
- Nǐn hǎo
- Nǐ hǎo
- German
- Guten Tag
- Hallo, Hi
- Russian
- Zdravstvuyte
- Privet
- Spanish
- Hola
- ¿Qué tal?
- Polish
- Dzień dobry
- Cześć, Witaj
- Korean
- Anyoung haseyo
- Anyoung
- Turkish
- Merhaba
- Selam
- Italian
- Salve
- Ciao
- Japanese
- Konnichiwa
- Yā, Yō
Translating content to send via WhatsApp
Another important part of communication is shared media. Sending a webpage or highlights from an article you found online will be useful if the person on the receiving end can understand what you're sending. Mate Translate lets you instantly translate entire webpages and articles without pasting a link anywhere or leaving the page. It's available for popular web browsers and on Mac.
With Mate installed, right-click the page you want to translate and click Translate this page. The text you're looking at will be translated where it is, in the same format. You can then copy the sections you wish to send into WhatsApp and shoot them over to your recipient.
Translating in WhatsApp is easy with Mate
There are few good apps that translate accurately and don't detract from your productivity and communications. Mate Translate was built to keep you in your normal Mac, iPhone, and browser tasks. Using it feels like you're multilingual. And, with features like Phrasebook, you learn languages you translate in the background with minimal effort.