The next time you receive an Gmail message in a language you don't speak, you’ll be able to translate it on your phone.
Gmail has long supported translations on the web, but Google has now added the live translate capability to its Android and iOS apps. The tool supports over 100 languages, and like its web counterpart, it will work somewhat automatically whenever it detects your email might not be in your primary language.
Gmail determines your preferred language from your “Gmail display language” in your settings. Whenever an email comes in that’s in a different language, Gmail will display a “Translate to” banner at the top of the page. From there, you’ll be able to select whether you’d like to view the email in its original form or have Gmail translate it for you.
If you tend to get a lot of emails in a specific language, you can also set Gmail to always translate a particular language, or never translate it if you’re bilingual and would prefer to read messages as written.
If you opted out of having your emails translated and run into a particularly challenging note, you can access the translate menu by tapping the three-dot menu within the app.
If you’re an Android user, the feature will roll out gradually over two weeks starting on Aug. 15. Apple iOS users will have to wait until Aug. 21, when that gradual rollout begins for iPhone.
The feature will ultimately be available to all Gmail users, regardless of whether or not you’re using a Personal or Workplace account.