Telegram confirms translation feature temporarily unavailable, says it'll be "available again soon"

Update (July 10): It seems Telegram is still having some trouble trying to get translations to work. While some users have begun reporting that the function is now working, others — like a commenter below — mention that it stopped working again. Similarly, reports on Reddit suggest that the translations work in some cases, but not in others. Some commenters on the Reddit thread even report that the success may vary depending on the platform — Android, iOS, or the Desktop app. Nevertheless, give it a shot and let us know if you were able to use the feature again or not in the comments section of the article.

Update (July 03): Since there are still no signs of translations on Telegram coming back online, some users have turned to third-party clients. One user posted the following in the discussion we highlighted on July 1 — “I recommend 2 3rd-party Telegram Clients, one is called Turrit, the other one is called Degen. Both could be found in the Google Play Store. Translation is working in these 2 clients, and both of them are free.”

So if you cannot wait for the feature to be reinstated officially, you can check out Turrit, Degen, or Nicegram to use translations.

Update (July 01): It’s been days, but the Telegram translation problem still persists. Curiosuly, Telegram hasn’t come out with any more details except for the initial response (which we have included in our coverage below). Meanwhile, impacted users are trying to figure out workarounds.

Sadly, there aren’t any concrete workarounds available at the moment. Over on bugs.telegram.org, there is this ongoing discussion about the issue wherein some users have suggested using an external app DeepL for translating Telegram messages.

Of course, this is not a convenient solution, but sadly, this is what some users are resorting to at the moment. Apart from that, there’s another potential solution but it involes opening Telegram on a browser without logging in. Basically, you need to copy the channel’s Telegram link and open it in a browser like Chrome. Then, click the “Preview Channel” option and right-click to open the browser menu, and select the option to translate the page.

Again, this too isn’t an ideal workaround, but it should help if you have to translate something urgently. 

Original article published on June 27, 2025, follows:

It seems many Telegram users are frustrated upon losing a key feature in the app. The in-app translation feature, a really handy tool for global communication, has suddenly gone offline for many. For users trying to use the feature, the app now gives the following message: “Translations are currently disabled.” The unexpected disappearance of the translation tool has certainly stirred up the user base. People have been taking to social media, particularly X, to voice their concerns.

One user, @CryotheEnderman, simply asked, “anyone else have translation is currently disabled showing for them?” This prompted a response from Telegram, which confirmed that the feature is indeed “temporarily unavailable” due to some technical fixes. They’ve also promised it will be “available again soon.”

It seems the “soon” part is what’s really getting to some users. @PatrickWintour highlighted the frustration, asking, “What is your definition of soon – so far it’s 24 hours. Promise you, it’s not the best time to disable translation.” Another user, @NewsEditorSean, didn’t hold back, calling it “Absolutely criminal for not letting your users know you were taking down Translation for ‘technical fixes’.” They added that “People use it for their jobs you know.” That’s a valid point. For many, especially those interacting with international contacts, the translation feature isn’t just a convenience; it’s essential for their work.

We’ve seen several comments from users expressing similar sentiments.

“When will the translation be available is it already too long? 😡” complained @WambliGaleshka.

“Why can’t the translate feature be used? 🥲 will the feature be removed? or is there a problem with the translate feature? please fix and reactivate the translation feature, thank you 🤗” wrote @endras_scal, clearly hoping for a quick resolution and reassurance.

And for those who pay for Telegram Premium, the situation feels even more impactful.

“Will we, PREMIUM subscribers, get any compensation for this? A day without translation is one less day of work for me. 😓” shared @ReeLeos2.

Telegram has typically offered a reliable translation service, which often relies on external APIs like Google Translate. While the exact nature of the “technical fixes” isn’t clear yet, such widespread outages usually point to backend issues or a problem with their third-party service provider. We’ll have to wait and see what Telegram means by “soon,” but for now, users will need to find alternative ways to bridge language barriers.