Translation Flow
Spun's translation system operates at three levels: text messages, voice messages, and live calls. Each uses a different mechanism but shares the same per-viewer philosophy.
Per-viewer translation (text)
Key principle: The original message is always preserved. Each viewer sees a translation in their preferred language — configured per-chat via the globe icon.
How it works
- Sender writes in their natural language.
- If the recipient has "Translate messages to [X]" enabled for that chat, Spun translates on delivery.
- The translation happens server-side using AI.
- Multiple viewers of the same message (shared inbox) each see their own translation.
- Users can toggle "Show original" to see the untranslated text.
Configuration
Per-chat via Chat header → Globe icon → Messages tab:
- "Translate my messages to" — outgoing auto-translation
- "Translate messages to" — incoming auto-translation
Voice-to-voice translation
How it works
- Configure via Globe icon → Audio tab:
- "Record voice in" = your language
- "Send voice in" = recipient's language
- Record a voice message normally.
- Spun processes: STT → translate → TTS.
- Preview the translated audio before sending.
- Recipient hears the voice message in their language.
Incoming voice translation
Reverse flow for received voice messages:
- "Hear voice in" = your preferred language
- Original audio is preserved — tap to hear the original.
Translation Rooms (live calls)
How it works
- Start a Translation Room from any chat (video call icon).
- Each participant sets their spoken language.
- In real-time: each person's speech is captured, translated, and dubbed into every other participant's language.
- Latency: ~2-3 seconds for the dubbed audio.
Participant limits by plan
| Plan | Max participants |
|---|---|
| Free Trial / Basic | 2 |
| Pro | 10 |
| Power | 50 |
Token usage
- Text translation: ~300 tokens per message
- Voice translation: ~500-1000 tokens per message (STT + translate + TTS)
- Translation Rooms: tokens consumed continuously during the call
Tips
- Set default languages per contact so you don't configure every chat manually.
- Voice preview catches translation errors before sending.
- Translation Rooms work best with clear speech and minimal background noise.