Microsoft has revealed that it is launching intelligent message translation for Teams chat on mobile devices.
The feature will be coming to the Teams platform on iOS and Android devices and will allow users to translate a chat message into their preferred language.
The company hopes to allow for better collaboration between users who speak different native languages.
A Microsoft blog said: “Effective collaboration and communication in a chat requires tools and features that understand who you are, where and how you like to communicate.
“Microsoft Teams on mobile devices can understand customers’ preferred languages and how customers like to interact with their contacts.
“When collaborators are chatting in different languages, the intelligent message translation feature uses their account preferences to inform the user when they would benefit from translation and then personalizes chat translation behavior.”
If Teams users receive a chat message in an unfamiliar language, the platform will prompt them with the option to translate it to their preferred language.
Users will also have the ability to personalize their chat translation behavior by turning on automatic translation.
Should a user use the translation a few times, Teams will prompt them with the option to turn on auto-translation.
If a language does not need to be translated, users can select “never translate” when the option appears to ensure that Teams will stop showing them translations for that specific language.
Teams users can edit their language preferences by tapping their profile settings and then choosing general and translation.
Microsoft has confirmed that the intelligent message translation feature is now available in the latest release of Microsoft Teams for iOS and Android devices.
Microsoft has been improving its translation features for its desktop Teams platform.
In September, the company announced that language interpretation is generally available for Teams meeting participants.
The feature allows professional interpreters to translate the speaker’s message into another language without disrupting the original speaker’s flow or delivery.
The company has designed the feature to support its customers who must communicate with users worldwide.
Earlier this year, Microsoft partnered with the Welsh Government to offer live human translation services.
Designated interpreters offered translation services during scheduled Teams meetings, and attendees could listen in real-time in a language of their choosing and switch languages during the meeting.
The feature has been designed to help public bodies and organizations foster inclusivity and understanding when they host meetings in multiple languages.