Meta supercharges Instagram with new AI translations and Indian language fonts in major update

Meta Platforms is making it easier for creators to create and consume content in a wider range of Indian languages on Instagram, Facebook, and the standalone Edits app. In a Mumbai-based event called “House of Instagram,” the company today announced native language support for Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil. It will add these languages to its AI-powered dubbing and translation toolkit for Instagram Reels. Dubbing and translation for Indian languages Creators could already dub and lip-sync their Reels into English, Spanish, Hindi, and Portuguese before today. “With AI Dubbing, creators can translate the audio and match the translated text to the lip movement of the original video using AI lip-syncing,” says the Meta spokesperson in a statement. “AI voice cloning technology will be used to dub reels so the translated version will sound more like the creator’s original voice.” Meta will also make it simple for viewers to recognize dubbed Reels. It will tag AI translated Reels with a “Translated with Meta AI” label, according to the spokesperson. The feature will also be easy to toggle for the audience: viewers can switch off translations or return to the original audio using the settings menu. Styling content in local languages, too In addition to language and audio support, Instagram’s Edits app is also getting a font upgrade. In an update coming to Android “in the coming days,” the app will support native writing scripts for Indian languages including Devanagari (Hindi, Marathi, and more) and Bengali-Assamese. It’s not just about what content creators say, but how it looks. Support for local fonts will add to the cultural context of visual content and help creators make their captions and Overlays look the way they sound when they write in their local languages. For context, Instagram’s list of fonts in the app will be localized to surface relevant fonts based on device’s language settings, according to the spokesperson. There are over 50 fonts in the app currently. Creators and audiences The update could significantly expand reach for content creators in the country. Indian creators who use Reels for storytelling, entertainment, or educational content can now express themselves in local languages of the regions they are targeting. It will also remove language barriers for audiences who may not understand English or Hindi on the platform. The creator voice is also preserved – rather than just subtitles, dubbing with AI lip-syncing can maintain the original creator tone and intonation, which is very important for brand trust and virality. For audiences, dubbed Reels will be fully accessible, rather than requiring focus to watch with subtitles or translating piece-meal with a dictionary. This makes content on the platform more inclusive, in practice if not just policy. One language more In a country with more than 1.3 billion people, covering languages and regional dialects can be a big undertaking. By expanding its translation and dubbing support to include five major Indian languages, Meta is making a bet that more and more social media content will be created and consumed in native tongues in the country. As more people use regional languages online, these projects will help creators and audiences feel more included. Meta also supports this, like with their AI subtitle translations launched recently.