Instagram and Facebook Reels get Hindi voice translations with Meta AI

When Meta first introduced AI-powered dubbing on Instagram and Facebook Reels earlier this year, creators were intrigued — but its reach was limited to English and Spanish. Now, the company is bringing the technology closer to home for India’s 500 million+ social media users: Hindi-language support has officially rolled out.

According to TechCrunch, the update also adds Portuguese, making it clear Meta is targeting its two fastest-growing markets — India and Brazil.

AI that sounds like you

Creators uploading a Reel can now tap 'Translate your voice with Meta AI', which uses deep-learning voice synthesis to reproduce their own tone, pitch, and cadence in another language.

“The idea isn’t just to subtitle — it’s to let you speak to your audience, regardless of language,” explained a Meta spokesperson quoted by The Indian Express.

Once enabled, the feature generates a dubbed audio track in Hindi, syncs it with the creator’s mouth movements, and attaches a visible badge: “Translated with Meta AI.” Viewers who prefer original audio can toggle translations off via the three-dot menu → Audio & Language → Don’t translate.

For creators, a preview mode allows checking lip-sync and pronunciation before publishing. The AI currently supports up to two speakers per Reel — ideal for dialogues or interview-style content.

In India, where more than 20 languages dominate social platforms, this could be a game-changer. A beauty vlogger from Mumbai can now reach fans in Delhi, Lucknow, and Jaipur who might not follow English fluently — without recording a second version.

“Language should never be a barrier to creativity,” said Meta India’s communications head in a statement to Business Today. “With Hindi support, we’re opening Reels to hundreds of millions of new viewers.”

The move also helps Meta compete with YouTube, which has expanded its multi-language audio tracks to 20+ languages. Analysts note that Instagram Reels, though popular, still trails YouTube Shorts and TikTok in multilingual accessibility.

How to use

1. Open Instagram or Facebook Reels and start uploading your video.

2. Tap “Translate your voice with Meta AI.”

3. Choose Hindi as the target language.

4. Preview the dubbed clip, enable optional lip-sync, and publish.

5. Watchers can toggle translation on/off anytime.

Currently, all public Instagram accounts can access the feature, while Facebook creators need at least 1,000 followers to use it.

Meta says more languages are coming soon — likely Tamil, Bengali, and Arabic — as the system improves. Researchers are already testing new lip-synchronization algorithms for better realism, especially across phonetically distant languages.

The technology stems from Meta’s 'SeamlessM4T' AI model, trained on millions of multilingual speech pairs. While critics raise questions about consent and data privacy, Meta claims voice samples are deleted after use.