The short answer: A translator keyboard is a keyboard with a translator inside. You write in your language, and it turns your message into the other person’s language before you send it. On Android, Gboard and the Samsung Keyboard already have one. On iPhone, Apple’s keyboard doesn’t, but Apple’s Messages app can translate chats. To write and read in any chat app, Swift Translate Keyboard does both.

What a translator keyboard does

A translator keyboard has two jobs:

Writing. You type in your language, and your message goes out in theirs. For example, you write “Chego às 7” in Portuguese, and your friend gets “I’ll be there at 7” in English. Or you write “See you tomorrow” in English, and they get “Hasta mañana” in Spanish.
Reading. A message arrives in a language you don’t read, and you see it in yours.

Most translator keyboards do the first job well. For the second, many ask you to copy the message first.

Why a keyboard? Because it’s there in every app where you type. Without one, you copy your message into a translator app, translate it, copy the result, go back to the chat and paste it. With a translator keyboard, you translate right in the message box.

How to translate while you type on Android

Gboard

Gboard is Google’s keyboard, and many Android phones come with it. Its translator is called Translate. With Gboard as your keyboard:

In any chat, tap the message box to open the keyboard.
At the top of the keyboard, tap Open features menu (the four squares).
Tap Translate.
Pick the language to translate from (or Detect language) and the language to translate into.
Type in the box above the keys. You see the translation as you type. Tap Select to use it.

For the full steps and the fixes when the button is missing, see how to use the Google Translate keyboard.

Samsung Keyboard

Galaxy phones come with the Samsung Keyboard, which has its own translator:

Tap More options (the three dots) at the top right of the keyboard.
Select Translate.
Pick the language you write in and the language to translate into.
Type your text and tap the Translate button.

On recent Galaxy phones with Galaxy AI, there’s a second tool that does more. In a conversation, tap the three-stars icon on the keyboard’s toolbar, then Chat translation, and choose a language at the top. It translates the messages you receive as well as the ones you write, and shows the translation below the original. It works in a list of apps that includes WhatsApp, Instagram direct messages, Samsung Messages and Google Messages. On phones that have it, it reads chats better than any plain keyboard, ours included.

If you don’t see it, turn it on in Settings > Galaxy AI > Chat assist (or Writing assist) > Chat translation. Its language list is shorter than a full translator’s and depends on your phone and region, and Samsung says it needs a Samsung account and a connection.

Other keyboards

You can also install a keyboard with a translator. Microsoft SwiftKey has one in its toolbar, called Translator, which also shows the messages you copy translated above the keys. We compare seven options in the best translator keyboards for Android.

How to translate while you type on iPhone

Apple’s keyboard has no translate button. It types in many languages, but it doesn’t translate.
In Apple’s Messages app, Live Translation can translate a conversation on newer iPhones with Apple Intelligence. Tap the person’s name at the top of the chat, turn on Automatically Translate and choose the language. See how to translate iMessages.
In many other apps, you can type your message, select it, tap Translate, then Replace with Translation. See how to translate while typing on iPhone.
Gboard for iPhone has the same Translate tool in Google’s help, but Google hasn’t updated the iPhone app since 2022.
Swift Translate Keyboard for iPhone works in your chat apps. Type your message and tap Translate to send it in their language. To read a message, copy it and tap Paste on the keyboard, and the translation shows above the keys.

For a full comparison, see the best translator keyboards for iPhone.

And the messages you receive?

Most translator keyboards only translate what you write. To read their replies, you have four kinds of help:

Keyboards that translate what you copy. Copy the message, and Swift Translate Keyboard shows it in your language with one tap. On Android, SwiftKey’s Translator does this too.
Galaxy AI Chat translation, on Galaxy phones that have it. It translates the chat itself, in the apps Samsung supports.
The chat app’s own translate. WhatsApp, for example, can translate the messages you receive, but not your reply before you send it. See how to translate WhatsApp messages.
On Android, Swift Translate. Our main app puts a floating bubble on your screen. Drag it onto any message, and a translation card appears next to the text. In WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business and Instagram, its Chat mode translates new messages as they arrive while its panel is open. More on the WhatsApp translator.

How to choose a translator keyboard

Five checks:

It works in your chat apps. Try it in the app you use most.
It has your languages, twice: keys for the language you write in, and translation into the language you need.
It reads as well as writes. See what it does with a message you receive.
You can check before you send. Look for a preview, an edit button, or a way to get your original words back.
You choose what gets sent. A good translator keyboard translates only when you ask.

Is a translator keyboard safe?

On Android, the phone shows the same warning for every keyboard you add: the keyboard may be able to collect the text you type. That’s true of any keyboard, so choose a developer you trust and read the app’s privacy details in the store before you add it. Swift Translate Keyboard sends nothing you type until you tap Translate, leaves password fields alone, and needs no account.

Swift Translate Keyboard: write in your language, send it in theirs

Swift Translate Keyboard is a full keyboard with a translator built in, for Android and iPhone.

Type your message in your language and tap Translate. It turns into their language right in the message box, ready to send. If you want to change something, the pencil brings your own words back. To read their reply, copy it. On Android, tap Translate copied text and read it on a card. On iPhone, tap Paste and read it above the keys. You never leave the chat, and you don’t need to know what language the message is in.

It translates between more than 100 languages. The keys come in more than 60, with word suggestions, auto-correction and emoji. It works in WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, your text messages and the other apps where you type. Get it for Android or iPhone. Writing to someone in Spanish? See the Spanish translator keyboard.

FAQ

What is a translator keyboard?

A keyboard with a translator built in. You type in your language, and it turns your message into another language before you send it. Some also help you read the messages you receive, usually after you copy them.

Is there a keyboard that translates as you type?

Yes. Gboard and Microsoft SwiftKey show the translation as you type. Others, like the Samsung Keyboard and Swift Translate Keyboard, translate when you tap a button, so you can check the whole message first.

How do I put a translator on my keyboard?

If you use Gboard, tap Open features menu (the four squares), then Translate. On a Samsung phone, tap More options (the three dots) on the keyboard and select Translate. On iPhone, or if you want a keyboard that also helps you read, install a translator keyboard and choose it as your keyboard.

Can I use a translator keyboard in WhatsApp?

Yes. A translator keyboard works in WhatsApp’s message box like in any other app where you type. To read the messages you receive, WhatsApp also has its own Translate in the message menu.

Does the iPhone keyboard have a translator?

No. Apple’s keyboard types in many languages, but it doesn’t translate. On newer iPhones, Apple’s Messages app can translate chats with Live Translation. In your other chat apps, you can use a translator keyboard such as Swift Translate Keyboard.

Is there a keyboard that translates automatically?

For what you write, a keyboard translates when you use its translator. For the messages you receive, Galaxy AI Chat translation and Pixel’s Live Translate translate them on their own in supported apps, on phones that have them. On other Android phones, Swift Translate’s Chat mode translates new messages in WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business and Instagram while its panel is open.

Translator Keyboard: How to Translate While You Type