Reddit is expanding its machine learning-powered translation services to over 35 new regions across Europe, Asia (including the Philippines), and Latin America. This initiative aims to make the predominantly English-focused social network more accessible to a broader audience.
This update comes about five months after Reddit launched site-wide translation for French speakers. Previously, users could translate individual posts in several languages. Reddit already allows users to set their preferred content language for post recommendations and adjust their display language, which translates the Reddit interface.
This announcement follows seven months after Reddit’s public listing. Despite the company’s growing user base and ad revenue, expanding content availability in multiple languages is seen as a key strategy to attract more users.
The standout feature of Reddit’s new translation service is its ability to auto-translate both posts and comments from a community’s original language to the user’s preferred language based on their settings. This allows seamless conversations in different languages within the same subreddit, eliminating the need for manual translations. Users can post in any supported language, and it will be automatically translated into the community’s preset language.
Supported users will see a new translate icon in their menu, enabling them to view content in their chosen language. Translated posts will be labeled, and users can opt to view the original language if desired. This feature is particularly useful for Filipino users interested in Japanese or Korean discussions, as highlighted by the active r/Philippines subreddit.
Overall, this new translation feature is expected to enhance Reddit’s role as a platform for inquiries, conversations, and news.
