Chat With Strangers in Another Language

October 25, 20265 min read

On SayHello you can chat with someone who speaks another language: in a one-on-one chat, their messages are translated into your language automatically, with the original shown underneath. Translation is on by default and can be switched off in any conversation. The site works in 15 languages, and no account is needed.

Write in your language, read theirs in yours. Translation is automatic in a one-on-one chat, and the original stays visible.

Language used to be the wall in random chat: you either matched with someone who spoke yours or got a conversation neither of you could read. Machine translation moves that wall. This page explains how translation works on SayHello, where it helps, where it falls short, and how it compares with language-exchange apps.

How does automatic translation work in a chat?

When your partner writes in a different language from yours, each message arrives translated into your language, with the original in smaller text beneath it and a small 'translated' label. Your own messages stay as you wrote them: the other person sees them translated on their side, if their translation is on.

Translation starts by itself when your languages differ. There is nothing to press.
The original is always shown under the translation, so you can check a word.
Translation and original sit in the same message bubble. No extra messages appear in the chat.
The Translation: on / off switch in the chat header turns it off for you, and the choice is remembered on this device.
With translation off, a Translate button sits under each message in another language.
If a message is already in your language, nothing is added.

Can you translate messages in the lobby?

Yes, by tap. The lobby is a shared room for everyone waiting for a match, and people there write in many languages at once. Under a message in another language there is a Translate button; tap it and the translation appears in place. Nothing in the lobby is translated without a tap.

Lobby messages are short: up to 300 characters each.
Everyone appears as Guest plus four digits.
Like what someone wrote? Tap the message and invite its author to talk one-on-one, where translation is automatic.

Which languages are supported?

The site runs in 15 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, French, German, Italian, Turkish, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese and Korean. Matching looks for someone who shares your language first. Tick Any language and you can be matched with someone who speaks another one, and translation does the rest.

Your language is the language of the site, which you choose in the footer.
English speakers search in any language by default; everyone else turns it on with one tick.
Two people on the same language who write in a different script, for example English in Latin letters on a Russian page, get a Translate button under the message.

What are the limits of machine translation?

The translator is a machine, and it makes machine mistakes. It handles ordinary sentences well and struggles with slang, jokes, very short replies and typos. There is also a daily cap on automatic translation; when it runs out, one line in the chat says so, and translation by tap still works until the next day.

Short replies such as 'lol' or 'ok' can come back unchanged or translated oddly.
Slang and wordplay often lose their meaning. If something reads strangely, ask.
Names and places can be translated as if they were ordinary words.
Translation takes a moment, so a translated message can arrive a beat later.
Messages are sent to a translation provider to be translated. The privacy policy names it.

Who is a translated chat for?

It suits two kinds of people: those practising a language, who want a real conversation with the original text there to check, and those curious about life in another country whose language they do not speak. It also helps whenever the queue in your own language is quiet.

Learners: read the original, compare it with the translation, then try answering in their language.
The curious: ask about a city, the food or an ordinary working day somewhere else.
Speakers of less common languages: Any language plus translation means a much wider queue.
People who have moved abroad, or are about to: ask someone who lives there about the small things.

SayHello, HelloTalk, Tandem and Discord compared

These four often come up together, but they do different jobs. HelloTalk and Tandem are language-exchange apps with profiles and partners you choose. Discord is group servers. SayHello is one-on-one text with a new person each time. The table sticks to features you can check yourself.

	SayHello	HelloTalk	Tandem	Discord
Format	Random one-on-one text	Language exchange app	Language exchange app	Group servers
Account needed	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Who you talk to	A new person each time	People you pick	People you pick	Server members
Message translation	Automatic, one-on-one	Long-press a message	Built in	Third-party bots
Voice or video	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Paid plan	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

Questions people ask

Is the translation automatic?

Yes, in a one-on-one chat when your languages differ. In the lobby, translation is by tap.

Can I see the original message?

Always. It sits under the translation in the same bubble.

Which language should I write in?

Your own. Your partner reads you in translation if their translation is on. If you want practice, write in their language — that works too.

Can I turn translation off?

Yes. The Translation switch in the chat header turns it off, and the choice is remembered on this device.

Is there a limit?

There is a daily cap on automatic translation. After it, translation by tap still works until the next day.

Do I need an account?

No. A guest gets five conversations a day, translation included.

Is it a language-learning app?

No. There are no lessons and no corrections. It is a conversation with a real person, which is what many learners lack.

How accurate is it?

Good on ordinary sentences, weaker on slang, jokes and one-word replies. When something reads oddly, ask.

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