Instagram Reels Expands AI Translation Language Support, Adding Japanese, Korean, and Five Other Languages
Instagram announces more AI-driven language translation options for Reels, adding Japanese, Korean, French, German, and Italian. The feature has been rolling out gradually since last year, syncing audio, subtitles, and lip movements. Meta says it now supports 14 or 18 languages, covering major markets like India. Creators can preview, disable, or adjust translations to reach a broader audience.
Instagram has recently added more AI-powered language translation options for Reels. According to the official announcement, users can now automatically translate Reels content into Japanese, Korean, French, German, and Italian, which are added on top of the original language options.
Meta has been gradually rolling out AI translation features for Reels since last year. Its advanced language model can not only translate audio and subtitles in videos but also synchronize the creator's lip movements with the translated speech, making the effect more natural.
The translation process generates an audio variant designed to make the creator look and sound as if they are speaking the translated language. Instagram says this feature has helped creators reach a broader audience of interested viewers.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said that Reels AI translation on the platform currently supports 14 languages. However, in another press release, Meta stated that the actual number of supported languages is 18. These translation languages include several used in India, which is Instagram's largest user market.
For creators, this could be a good opportunity to reach more people, but the actual effect may vary depending on the content. AI lip-syncing can sometimes look less natural, even if the basic meaning of the content is accurately conveyed.
Creators can review any translation before publishing and choose to turn off the synchronization feature, or completely forgo using the translation option.
For users who are creating content, it is recommended to enable this option to observe reactions from speakers of other languages. If feedback from certain regions is strong, this could open up new audiences for the post.
Meta's automatic translation option is available in the Reels editor for creators with more than 1,000 followers. Users can select up to two languages per translation.
Meta also said it is adding more language support for translation features on Facebook, including Indonesian, Arabic, French, Vietnamese, and Thai, with more languages to be rolled out in the future.