Facebook Messenger’s automatic translation feature can be useful for communicating across language barriers. However, some users may prefer to disable this feature for various reasons. Fortunately, turning off translation in Messenger is easy to do.
What is Translation in Messenger?
The translation feature in Messenger automatically detects when a message is sent in a language different from your default language setting. It will then display an inline translation of the message in your language so you can understand what the other person said.
This translation is powered by artificial intelligence, so it may not always be perfect. But it allows you to get the gist of messages in other languages without having to copy and paste them into a separate translation tool.
Why Would You Want to Turn Off Translation?
Here are some common reasons why you may want to disable translation in Messenger:
- You want to practice the language and see the original messages.
- Translations are not always accurate and you prefer seeing the original text.
- You find the translations distracting.
- You have privacy concerns over Facebook detecting languages and translating.
- You communicate in multiple languages and don’t need translations.
How to Turn Off Translation in Desktop Messenger
If you use Messenger on a desktop browser, here are the steps to turn off translation:
- Open Messenger in your desktop browser.
- Click on your profile picture in the top left.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu.
- Go to the “Language & Region” tab.
- Under “Translation”, uncheck the box next to “Show translations in conversations.”
- Scroll down and click “Save Changes.”
This will disable translations for all your Messenger conversations on desktop. You’ll now see messages in their original language.
How to Turn Off Translation in Mobile Messenger
To turn off translations in the Messenger mobile app:
- Open the Messenger app on your iPhone or Android.
- Tap your profile picture in the top left.
- Go to “Settings”.
- Tap “Language”.
- Under “Translation”, toggle off “Translate Messages”.
This will prevent messages from being translated in the Messenger mobile app.
How to Turn Off Translations for Specific Conversations
You can also disable translations for specific conversations only:
- Open the conversation in Messenger.
- Tap the name of the person or group at the top.
- Select “Translation Off”.
This will turn off translations just for that conversation while keeping them enabled for your other conversations.
Disable Automatic Language Detection
In addition to turning off translations, you can also stop Messenger from automatically detecting message languages:
- Go to your Messenger settings.
- Tap “Language & Region”.
- Toggle off “Automatically detect languages”.
With this setting disabled, Messenger will no longer try to detect languages and show the translation feature. All messages will appear in the language they are originally typed in.
Re-Enabling Translations in Messenger
If you change your mind later, re-enabling translations is easy. Just follow the same steps above but toggle translations back on. Translations will then be enabled again for your conversations.
You can also choose to only enable translations for specific conversations again if you previously turned them off.
Troubleshooting Tips
Here are some troubleshooting tips if you’re having issues turning off translations in Messenger:
- Make sure you saved your changes after toggling off translations in settings.
- Double check that translation is disabled in both desktop and mobile if you use both.
- Try force quitting and relaunching the Messenger app if on mobile.
- Check for any available Messenger app updates.
- Try turning off automatic language detection as well.
Considerations
- Disabling translation only affects your view – the other person will still see translated messages if they have translation enabled.
- Group conversations follow the translation settings of whoever created the group chat.
- Messages you previously sent before turning off translation will still show as translated for the recipients.
Conclusion
Turning off message translation in Messenger is straightforward once you know where to look in your settings. This gives you full control over whether you see messages in their original language or take advantage of the automatic translation feature.
With translations disabled, you can brush up on your language skills, avoid inaccurate translations, and see messages exactly as the sender typed them. Just toggle translation on or off anytime to enable or disable the feature.