Translator for iOS FAQs

App is not working well

When you encounter issues with the app, and believe you found a bug, send us your app logs.

• Tap the gear lever at the bottom right of the main screen.
• Scroll down on the screen that appears and tap “Share logs with Microsoft”
• • What feature were you using? (For example: text, speech, image translation, phrasebook, offline language packs, etc.)
  • What did not work well?
  • Please attach a screenshot if possible – this would help us understand the issue a lot better!

How can I change the voice from male to female and vice versa?

To change the gender of the voice used to speak translations, take the following steps:

• Open the app and tap the Settings menu icon (the gear icon)
• Choose “Female or Male” under Preferred gender of voice for speech output.

How to change the languages in the Phrasebook

• Open the app and tap the book icon at the bottom of the screen. That is the Phrasebook icon.
• At the bottom of the screen select your from-language and to-language tap the language to the right of the arrows
• All phrases will now be in the from- and to-languages that you have selected.

How to delete or remove an offline language pack

• Open the app, then go to the settings menu. Tap the gear icon.
• Tap Offline Languages
• Tap the green check mark next to the downloaded language. When prompted, tap DELETE.

How to delete the app

Tap and hold the Translator icon and tap the x that appears to delete the app from your device.

How to delete translations in your history

To delete translations one at a time:

• Tap the clock icon at the bottom left of your screen
• Swipe left on the translation you would like to delete
• Tap Delete

To delete all translation history:

• Tap the gear icon to open Settings
• Scroll down to “Clear History”, and tap to clear all history.

To delete saved translations please take the following steps:

• Tap the clock icon at the bottom left of your screen
• Tap Pinned
• Tap the green pin underneath each saved translation to delete it.

How to download languages for offline use

Language packs can be downloaded over WiFi or a data connection. Data connection rates will apply.

• Open the app, and tap the gear icon
• Scroll to “Offline Languages”
• Tap the language you would like to download for offline use
• Download the language using a WiFi or data connection. Check the box if you want to use WiFi, and tap OK.
• The language has been downloaded when you see the language at the top of the list and has a checkmark next to it.

How to download languages for offline use

Before you download a language for offline use in Microsoft Translator please ensure that you are using Wi-Fi connection. To download a language, follow the steps below.

• Tap Microsoft Translator
• Tap the gear lever at the bottom right of your screen
• Tap Offline Languages
• Tap the language you would like to download for offline use
• Ensure that you have a checkmark next to Download over Wi-Fi and tap OK

The language has been downloaded when you see that the language has moved to the top of the list and has a checkmark next to it.

How to send a translation as a text message

To send a translation as a text message please follow the steps below.

• After you have translated a text tap the share icon.
• Tap the message app from the options menu.
• Enter the name or phone number of the recipient you want to send the message to.
• Tap send.

How to share the Microsoft Translator app

• Go to the App Store
• Search for Microsoft Translator
• Tap on Microsoft Translator
• Tap on the blue icon with the 3 dots
• Tap Share App

How to translate a text message

To translate a text message you received please follow the steps below:

• Find the text you want to translate
• Tap-and-hold the text
• Tap Copy
• Open Microsoft Translator
• Tap the keyboard icon
• Tap-and-hold to paste the text
• Tap Paste

To send a translation as a text message please follow the steps below:

• After you have translated a text tap the share icon
• Tap the message app from the options menu
• Enter the name or phone number of the recipient you want to send the message to
• Tap send

How to translate a webpage using Microsoft Translator

On iPhone or iPad, install Microsoft Translator for iOS, which includes the Translator extension for the Safari browser.

How to translate web pages in your browser:

• Open your Safari browser and visit the desired web page you wish to translate
• Select the text you want to translate: Tap and hold on the text and move the handles until you have selected the text you want to translate
• Tap on the share icon (square with an arrow coming out) at the bottom of the page
• Tap Microsoft Translator
• Select the from- and the to-language
• Tap Done
• The page will translate

Choose the language you’d like webpages to translate as follows:

• Open Microsoft Translator
• Tap the settings button at the bottom right of your page
• Tap Safari Translation Language
• Tap the language of your choice
• Tap the back button and tap Done

How to translate an email using Outlook for Apple on iOS

• Tap-and-hold the text you would like to translate and use the handles to select the entire text.
• Tap Share
• Tap the Translate icon and the translation will appear. You can also change the to-language if needed.

On a tablet or laptop

The quickest way to translate the occasional email is to copy and paste the text in https://www.bing.com/translator

If you translate emails on a regular basis, install the Translator for Outlook add-in.

How to translate messages in your apps such as text, WhatsApp and Facebook

To be able to translate a message you received in another application or to send a to translated message you can use copy and paste.

1. Find the message you want to translate
2. Tap-and-hold the text
3. Tap Copy
4. Go to the Microsoft Translator app and tap the keyboard
5. Select the languages you want to translate from and translate to
6. Tap-and-hold on “Type to Translate”
7. Tap Paste and your translation will appear.

How to translate text

• Tap the keyboard icon
• Select the “from” language in the left drop-down menu
• Select the “to” language in the right drop-down menu
• Type your text, and the translation will appear automatically.

How to translate while using WhatsApp

• Find the WhatsApp message you want to translate.
• Tap-and-hold the text.
• Tap Copy.
• Go to the Microsoft Translator app and tap the keyboard.
• Select the languages you want to translate from and translate to
• Tap-and-hold on “Type to Translate”.
• Tap Paste and your text will appear.

To send a translated text using WhatsApp, please do the following:

• Go to the Microsoft Translator app and tap the keyboard.
• Translate the text you want to send
• Tap the share icon (It’s the box with the arrow facing up)
• Tap the WhatsApp icon
• Select the person you want to send the message to
• Tap Send

How to use auto-correct in the language you are translating from

To allow your phone to auto-correct in the right language take the following steps:

• Go to the Settings > General > Dictionary
• Tap the language you would like to have the dictionary in, e.g. Spanish and Spanish-English. Then go back to the General Settings.
• Tap Keyboard
• Tap keyboards
• Tap add New Keyboard
• Tap the language of your choice e.g. Spanish
• Exit the Settings app on your device

To see if it works take the following steps:

• Tap the keyboard icon
• You will see a small globe on the left of your space bar
• Tap and hold the globe and you will see a list of languages appear. If you choose Spanish, you’ll notice that the phrase you type is now autocorrected in Spanish.

How to use copy and paste with Translator

To copy and paste a translation done in Translator works as follows:

Once you have translated a text you select the share icon (the one with the arrow pointing out) and tap copy in the menu that appears. The entire translation is now copied.

To paste the text you go to where you would like to paste the text. Tap-and-hold your finger on where you want to paste the text and the option to paste the text appears.

To translate a text you found somewhere else take the following steps:

• Tap-and-hold your finger on the text you would like to translate and move the handles to select the entire text you want to copy.
• Select Share in the box that appears.
• Select the Translate icon and the option to translate appears.

How to use Microsoft Translator when you are offline

When you are offline and would like to translate please do the following.

• Tap Microsoft Translator
• Tap the Keyboard icon on the main screen
• Choose the from-language by tapping on the language on the bottom left of your screen.
• Tap on the language that you would like to translate from the list that appears.
• Tap Done
• Choose the to-language by tapping on the language on the bottom right of your screen.
• Tap on the language that you would like to translate to from the list that appears.
• Tap Done
• You will now see both the from language and the to-language at the bottom of your screen.
• Tap Type to translate at the top of your screen and a keyboard appears.
• Type the sentence you would like to translate and tap Done.
• The translation appears in the middle of you screen.

Profanity Filter: Translating profanities

In your settings you will find the option to turn on/off the profanity filter in the app. This should help in translating profanities. Please also know that the app will translate the phrase literally.

• Open Microsoft Translator
• Tap the gear lever at the bottom right of the page
• Turn the Translate profane words recognized in speech on (green) or off (white)

Saving and sharing camera translations

Camera translations can be saved and shared by:

• Tapping the pin icon on the bottom left of your screen. This will save the image to your History, under “Pinned”
• Tapping the share icon to save it to your photo gallery.
• Sharing the translated image by tapping the share icon and selecting email, Message, Facebook, or one of the many share capabilities available on iOS.

Why is offline translation not working?

1. Offline language packs work in Text and Camera Translations only. They will not work in Voice or Conversation mode.
2. Check if the languages you want to translate from and to have been downloaded for offline use.
   • Tap the gear icon
   • Select “Offline languages”
   • Offline language packs will appear at the top of the screen, with a green check mark next to it.
   • You will need to download both the from-language and the to-language for offline use.
3. If both your languages are downloaded and you still cannot translate while offline, try switching to airplane mode. Please let us know if the above works.

How long does the mic stay on in auto-mode speech translation?

The maximum duration for each speaker is 20 seconds.

How to save a translation

You can save your translations by tapping the “pin” icon below each translation. Here’s how to save a translation:

• Choose the keyboard, camera, or microphone to translate text, a photo, or speech.
• After your translation appears, you will see a pin icon. Tap that icon to save the translation.
• To view all of your saved translations, tap the clock icon on the Home screen.
• You will see Recent and Pinned. Tap Pinned to view your saved translations.
• the pinned translations please do the following:
• Tap the clock icon at the bottom left of your screen
• Tap Pinned at the top right of your screen

How to slow down the audio of translations

When you listen to a translation the text is pronounced in a variety of speeds.

• If you tap the speaker icon once, it will play at a normal speed.
• If you tap the icon again, the pronunciation will slow down to half the speed.
• If you tap the speaker icon for a third time, the pronunciation will be even slower.

How to translate conversations with more than two people using the multi-device conversation feature

How to start a multi-device conversation:

• Open the app and tap the multi-person conversation feature icon. In the Windows app, click the Conversation tab.
• Tap Start or Start conversation
• Enter your name and your language, and tap Enter
• A QR code or conversation code will display where people can scan the code using their device or manually enter the conversation code to join the conversation.

How to join a multi-device conversation:

• Open the app and tap the multi-person conversation feature icon. In the Windows app, click the Conversation tab.
• Join a conversation by entering the conversation code or scanning the conversation’s QR code. The person who started the conversation will be able to share this with you.
• Choose a language and enter the conversation.
• Join the discussion by pressing the microphone icon and speaking, or by typing directly into the text box. Translator automatically translates all comments into the user’s language — even if other users are speaking in a different language.
• Please note that you will not be able to speak or type from your device if the Host mutes all participants. Once you’re unmuted, you will be able to speak/type.

How to translate conversations with two people using the Split-Screen feature

For in-person conversations with another person, you can use the Microsoft Translator split-screen feature to translate your conversation using a single device.

• Tap the Microphone icon
• Tap the from-language and select your language
• Tap the to-language and select the language of the person you are going to have a conversation with. Currently, we support 11 speech languages.
• Tap the icon with 2 microphones
• Press and hold the microphone icon and say the sentence you want to translate
• Let go of the microphone icon
• The translation will be pronounced.

How to translate speech

Microsoft Translator can translate your voice and spoken sentences.

• Tap the Microphone icon
• Tap the from-language and select your spoken language. Currently Microsoft Translator supports 11 speech languages. See if your language is supported by visiting the Languages page.
• Tap the to-language and select the language you want to translate to. We can translate your speech into one of 90 languages and dialects.
• Press and hold the microphone icon and start speaking.
• Let go of the microphone icon
• The translation will appear.

How to use the camera feature

Camera translations work best when the camera is level, and there is contrast between the text and the background.

• Tap the camera icon
• Choose the from-language and the to-language. Check our Languages page to ensure we support the language you are translating from.
• Choose the Photos thumbnail, and select a photo or image with text that you would like to translate, or
• Point the camera to the text you would like to translate, and tap the camera icon.

How to use Translator while offline (with no WiFi or data connection)

If you download offline languages packs, text translation features are available offline when there is no data connection or WiFi. You must first download the languages you would like to translate from and translate to if you are to use the offline translation capabilities.

Here’s a list of features offered while offline:

• Text translation: Tap the keyboard and translate text.
• Camera feature: Snap a photo or upload a photo from your photo gallery to translate the text within the photo.
• Phrasebooks and pinned translations are available offline

Speech conversations using the live conversation feature, and short-form translations using the single microphone and split-screen microphone feature are currently not available while offline.

If I give consent to contribute voice clips to Microsoft, is my data collected while using Conversations feature?

No, we don’t collect any data while using the Conversations feature.

Translator Dictionary

When you translate a single word, you can look up other translations for the same word in the dictionary (where available).

• Tap the keyboard icon
• Choose a from-language and a to-language
• Type one word and tap Enter
• The translation appears, and you’ll see the dictionary icon all the way to the right of the list of icons.
• When you tap the dictionary, you’ll find other meanings of the same word.

What data is collected if I give consent to contribute voice clips from my device to Microsoft?

Voice clips of 20 seconds are collected by the Microsoft’s Speech service, please check this page for more details.

What features are available for offline use?

Check out our list of features for each language, including offline language packs.

• Visit our Languages page
• Select a language from the drop-down list of Languages
• You will see the available features for each language. If an offline language pack is available, it will be listed under “Supported”.

Where do I find transliterated text?

Transliteration, or writing words in the corresponding letters of a different alphabet, can be seen by swiping left on the translated text. E.g. Once you have translated into Chinese you can swipe left, and you will find Pinyin.

Additional info: Simplified Chinese

Transliteration, or writing words in the corresponding letters of a different alphabet, is available for Simplified Chinese in the Translator apps for Android and iOS to help non-Chinese speakers read Chinese characters.

Although Simplified Chinese is used throughout mainland China as a writing system, the way these characters are pronounced may differ significantly in various regions of the nation. For instance, in the area around Guangzhou and Hong Kong the majority of the population speaks Cantonese whereas in the area around Beijing the majority of the population speaks Mandarin. Both regions use Simplified Chinese as a writing system.

The version of transliteration used in the Microsoft Translator apps is known as PinYin, which is based on Mandarin pronunciation of Simplified Chinese.

Why can’t I download offline packs?

1. Cancel the current download of languages:
   • Tap on the language that is currently downloading
   • Select YES
2. Make sure your device is not in battery saving mode
3. Restart your phone or PC by turning it on and off.
4. Download the language again.

Why can’t I listen to the audio of a translation?

Some languages have text to speech audio output, allowing you to hear the translated text by tapping the speaker icon. Languages that have text-to-speech capabilities will be represented by a speaker icon below the translation. Please find the list of languages that support text to speech on our Languages page.

How do I get my language supported?

Translating audio from movies, video clips, or external media

The Microsoft Translator app does not support translation of external media sources or files, such as movies or video clips.

Why am I unable to speak in the conversation?

Troubleshoot in the following order:

• Make sure your language is listed as a speech-supported language in the drop down list. Check out our language list here.
• Are you on iOS using Safari on iPhone or iPad? If so, there are technical limitations on these devices that inhibits websites from accessing their microphones. If you’re on an iPhone or iPad using the Safari browser, you won’t be able to use our speech features, even if a speech-supported language is selected.

If your speech language is supported, and you’re not using Safari on iPhone or iPad:

• Confirm you clicked yes when your device or browser asked for microphone access to use Translator. Without the permission to access your microphone, you won’t be able to use our speech features.
• Verify you haven’t been muted by the host of the conversation. If the host is giving a presentation or wants to prevent interruptions, they might have muted participants from speaking.

Is the Microsoft Translator app free?

The Microsoft Translator App is free of charge.

If you’re interested in using the Microsoft Translator API for business, visit our business site.

I’m giving a presentation or a lecture. What settings should I use?

Turn on the Presenter mode toggle in the multi-device conversation feature Settings pane while giving a presentation. This will unmute your microphone for the duration of the presentation.

If you are the conversation host, turning on Presenter mode will also mute other participants to prevent interruptions during the presentation.

I’m trying to enter a conversation using the five-letter code. Why do I see the “invalid conversation code” error?

Troubleshoot in the following order:

• Did the host of the conversation lock new participants from joining? If so, this is the message that will appear on screen.
• If the host has not locked out new participants:
  • Make sure the five-letter code you entered is correct.
  • Verify the conversation is still active. A conversation ceases to exist when the conversation host ends the conversation or if there are no participants active in the conversation.

Speech translation languages: what is available for which feature?

Visit our languages page for complete list of languages and features in the app.

Translation mistakes

The translation system is constantly learning, making corrections, and improving its output. In some instances, it can create errors, especially when the phrase lacks context.

Visit our machine translation page to learn more about how it works.

If you believe you’ve found a bug, please submit a ticket.

Troubleshooting voice translations

• Are you online (WiFi or a data connection)? Our voice translation feature works only while online.
• Are you trying to speak one of our 11 speech languages? Check out our Languages page to see if we support your speech language.
• Make sure the right language is picked as the “From” language.
• Speak clearly, hopefully without background noise. Translator better recognizes speakers of the languages’ native tongue.
• Translator works best when translating full sentences.

What’s the difference between starting a conversation and joining a conversation?

By starting a conversation: a user creates a new conversation with a unique code which can be shared with others. Other participants can use this code to enter the conversation in the language of their choice.

By joining a conversation: a user inputs a conversation code to join an ongoing conversation with one or more people in it.

Why do I need to use a headset to use this product?

A headset provides a close-talking microphone that produces a higher quality of recognition for the user’s speech and is less likely to pick up noise from your environment.

Using a headset, a lapel microphone or a bluetooth microphone will result in the best quality of speech recognition and therefore have improved translations compared to a laptop or a PC’s default microphone.

Why do I repeatedly see “disconnected” messages while in a conversation?

Users will often see “disconnected” messages on account of poor internet connectivity. If you are repeatedly seeing “disconnected” messages while in a conversation, try switching to a different internet network or try switching from a cellular network to WiFi to resolve the issue.

Why is my language not supported for speech?

Speech recognition is a totally different process than translation. It requires a whole new set of data: hundreds of hours of recorded audio and their associated transcriptions and trainings of our machine learning based engines to become available.

We continue to release improvements to the quality of our existing languages and to expand on our coverage of languages from around the world so that more people can use Microsoft Translator in their own language.

Stay tuned on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter feeds for updates to our language coverage.

Offensive translation mistake

To report an offensive translation, submit a bug by clicking the Contact the Translator Team link on the Microsoft Translator Apps Feedback and Support page.

What languages are supported by Microsoft Translator?

View our list of languages supported for both speech and text translation.

Why are the FAQs not written in my language?

Our help pages are written in English. However, you can translate the help texts to one of many languages by scrolling to the top of this page and locating the language box below the site navigation.

Click or tap to expand the language menu, and select your desired language.