How do I use the translation bot?
The translation bot supports two main usage modes: private translation and group auto-translation. Private translation is suitable for personal day-to-day translation, bilingual chats, and conversation assistance. Group auto-translation is more suitable for multilingual group discussions. In most cases, you only need to configure the mode and language once, and after that you can just send text directly.
The bot used in this guide is @TranslateChatsBot. You can open it directly at https://t.me/TranslateChatsBot.
1. How to use it in private chat
First-time setup
The first time you use it, open a private chat with the bot and send /start.
The bot will usually guide you through two setup steps: first choosing a translation mode, and then choosing a target language. Once the setup is done, you can start sending text for translation.
Two translation modes
Single translation
Single translation is suitable when you always want your message translated into one specific language. For example, if you always want Chinese translated into English, or English translated into Chinese, the bot will translate what you send into the target language you already configured.
Conversation translation
Conversation translation is more suitable for bilingual chat or cross-language communication. For example, if your language is Chinese and the other side's language is English, your Chinese messages will be translated into English, and English messages will be translated back into Chinese.
If the bot detects that the current conversation partner may have switched languages, it may prompt you to switch the other side's language so future translations are more accurate.
2. Common commands
Basic commands
/start: start using the bot and enter the initial setup flow.
/help: view the help message.
/mode: choose the translation mode again.
/status: view the current translation settings.
Mode switching
/single: switch to single translation mode.
/conversation: switch to conversation translation mode.
Language settings
/lang <language code>: set the target language.
/targetlang <language code>: set the target language.
/mylang <language code>: set your own language.
/mylang: view your current language.
/targetlang: view the current target language.
3. Supported languages
Common supported languages include en for English, zh-CN for Simplified Chinese, zh-TW for Traditional Chinese, ru for Russian, es for Spanish, pt for Portuguese, ar for Arabic, and ja for Japanese.
4. Usage examples
Example 1: translate Chinese into English
First send /single, then send /lang en. After that, if you send “Hello, nice to meet you” in Chinese, the bot will return the English translation.
Example 2: bilingual Chinese-English conversation
First send /conversation, then set /mylang zh-CN and /targetlang en. After that, when you send Chinese, the bot returns English; when you send English, the bot returns Chinese.
Example 3: change the target language to Russian
Send /targetlang ru, and future translations will be returned in Russian.
5. How to use it in groups
After adding the bot to a group, members can usually just send normal text messages. Group mode usually does not require every member to configure it separately.
The bot can automatically provide translations for other language users based on the languages that have already appeared in the group. For example, if someone speaks Chinese and someone else speaks English, later Chinese messages may trigger an English translation reply. If Spanish has also appeared in the group, the bot may also add Spanish translations.
6. Recommendations
If you are an individual user, single translation mode is usually the easiest choice. Set your target language once and then just send the content you want translated.
If you frequently chat with people in other languages, conversation mode is usually better because it can switch automatically between your language and the other side's language.
If you use it in multilingual groups, simply add the bot to the group and let members talk normally. The bot can then supplement translations automatically.
7. Common questions
Why didn't my message get translated?
Common reasons include: you sent a command instead of normal text, you have not set the target language yet, the source language and target language are the same, the text is too short for reliable detection, or the translation request failed and the bot returned nothing.
What is the difference between single mode and conversation mode?
Single mode always translates into the target language you set. Conversation mode switches automatically between “my language” and “the other side's language” based on the detected input language.
Can I change the language at any time?
Yes. You can change language settings at any time with /lang <language code>, /targetlang <language code>, and /mylang <language code>.
Why does the bot sometimes ask me to switch the other side's language?
In conversation mode, the bot may detect that the current message appears to be in another language. If the conversation partner has actually changed, switching the language makes later translations more accurate.
Why does the group sometimes get multiple language translations automatically?
Because in group mode the bot uses the languages that have already appeared in that group and can automatically add additional language versions for other participants.
Can it translate images, voice messages, or files?
In most cases it mainly supports text translation. Whether images, voice messages, or files are supported depends on the current capabilities documented by the bot itself.
8. Recommended quick-start flow
If this is your first time, the recommended flow is: open the bot in private chat, send /start, choose either single mode or conversation mode, set your language preferences, and then send text directly.
If you only want the fastest setup, the simplest approach is to send /single, then /lang en, and then send the content you want translated.