Meta is helping Instagram and Facebook creators translate reels thanks to AI
New AI-powered translations let creators break language barriers and reach global audiences.
Meta’s AI translation tool lands on Reels
Meta is rolling out a brand-new AI translation feature on Instagram and Facebook Reels. The tool automatically translates your Reels into another language, and even mimics your voice to keep things sounding natural. It even takes this a step further thanks to an additional lip-sync feature that aligns translated audio with your mouth movements, making it seem all that bit more authentic.
Right now, translations only work between English and Spanish. However, Meta says more languages are coming soon.
How does it work?
Before you post a Reel, creators will now see a toggle called “Translate your voice with Meta AI”. Switch it on, choose if you want the lip-sync feature, and preview how it looks and sounds before posting. Once live, viewers automatically get the Reel in their preferred language. Each translated Reel carries a Meta AI tag for transparency.
If you’d rather keep things in your original language, no problem. You can turn off the feature at any time. Likewise, viewers can also opt out of seeing translated Reels via the settings menu.
For creators, Meta also recommends a few best practices for clean translations: speak clearly, face the camera, avoid covering your mouth, and keep background noise to a minimum. The feature does support up to two speakers, but they shouldn’t talk over each other.
Benefits for artists and creators
For artists, musicians, and creators, the benefits are clear. This tool makes it easier to reach fans outside your own language bubble. Think about it: a Spanish-speaking fan can now watch your (originally English) Reel and actually understand it. That’s huge for breaking down language barriers.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri made this benefit clear when he took to Instagram to announce the feature. The new tool helps creators reach new audiences, and grow your fanbase.
On top of that, Meta is adding a new Insights metric showing views by language. That way, creators can track just how much their reach is growing thanks to translations.
Importantly, if you don’t want to use the translation feature then it will have no effect on how your Reel ranks in feeds.
Where it’s available
The feature is currently rolling out in regions where Meta AI is supported. On Instagram, it’s open to all public accounts. Meanwhile on Facebook, it is limited to creators with 1,000+ followers.
More languages are expected soon, though Meta hasn’t said which ones or when. Still, it’s easy to imagine how powerful this could become once rolled out across more of the world’s most-spoken languages.