Google Chat rolling out automatic translations for Workspace

Google Chat is getting a highly-requested feature with automatic translations, while a handful of tweaks are coming to @mentions. 

Google Chat is rolling out the ability to “automatically detect and translate over 120 languages to a user’s preferred language.” Messages in another language will be translated by default with the ability to “View original.” Featuring the Google Translate icon, Chat notes the original language inline. 

Available on the web, Android, and iOS, go to Settings > Automatic Translation > “Translate messages to your preferred language” to enable. Other things to note include:

• “Automatic translation only applies to message content inside the conversation stream and does not show up on message snippets in Home or notifications.”
• “These translated messages are viewable only to you.”
• “Please allow up to 24 hours for this feature to update languages when languages are changed in your Google account settings.”

Translated messages are only viewable to you, while “Automatic translation only applies to message content inside the conversation stream and does not show up on message snippets in Home or notifications.” 

First previewed in April, Google Chat translations are rolling out over the coming weeks to Workspace customers with these paid add-ons:

• Gemini Business and Enterprise 
• AI Meetings and Messaging 

Meanwhile, Google Chat is making some updates to @mentions, starting with a new design that takes after smart chips, like Drive’s, for a more uniform appearance across Workspace apps. Google says “simplified colors” will result in personal mentions standing out the most.

Hovering over a chip “will show more information about the person” and clicking will start a 1:1 conversation. Finally, mentioning a user that is not in the conversation will give you the option to “add them and send the message, or just send the message without adding them.” This only applies to Spaces and group conversations, not 1:1 direct messages.

These changes — for all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts — are rolling out first on the web, and coming later (Q1 2025) to Android and iOS.