Meta AI translation can dub Instagram Reels in English and Spanish

TL;DR

• Meta’s AI translation tool now dubs Facebook and Instagram Reels in English and Spanish (and back again).
• The dub can be aligned to the voice and mouth movements, with an option to add lip-syncing and review before publishing.
• Reels translated with Meta AI will surface to users in their preferred language and will include a disclosure tag.
• The rollout is starting now for Facebook creators with 1,000+ followers and all public Instagram accounts by default, with a Translate voices with Meta AI toggle available before publishing.

Context and background

Meta has been developing AI-based translation and dubbing capabilities to help creators reach multilingual audiences. The company describes its translation feature as an automated dubbing tool that not only translates dialogue but also strives to match the translated audio to the original voice and mouth movements. The option to add lip-syncing and to review the result before publishing suggests a workflow designed for creators who want control over the final video. The feature was previewed during Meta’s Connect event last year, laying the groundwork for broader rollout across Facebook and Instagram. For now, the supported language direction is English↔Spanish, mirroring the preview stage.

What’s new

The update expands access beyond a small experimental group to more users:

• Automatic dubbing of Reels on Facebook and Instagram in English and Spanish (and back).
• Lip-syncing alignment between translated audio and the speaker’s lips.
• A toggle labeled Translate voices with Meta AI to enable the feature before publishing a Reel.
• The ability to review the dubbed video before posting.
• Translated Reels are surfaced to users in their preferred language, with a disclosure tag indicating translation via Meta AI.
• The rollout targets Facebook creators with 1,000+ followers and all public Instagram accounts.

Why it matters (impact for developers/enterprises)

For creators and social media teams, the feature represents a practical tool to broaden reach without leaving the platform. By surfacing translated Reels in a user’s preferred language, Meta aims to reduce language barriers and improve engagement across audiences that speak different languages. The explicit disclosure tag provides transparency about automated translation. For developers and businesses building on Meta’s ecosystem, the tool illustrates how automated dubbing and lip-sync alignment can be integrated into social content workflows, potentially informing future localization strategies. The rollout to a broad base of creators signals a wider push toward multilingual content on Meta’s apps.

Technical details or Implementation

• Translation direction is English↔Spanish for now, with automatic dubbing of Reels on Facebook and Instagram.
• The dubbing uses AI to align the translated audio with the speaker’s voice and mouth movements.
• Users can enable the feature by selecting the Translate voices with Meta AI toggle in the publish menu for a Reel.
• There is an option to add lip-syncing to the dubbed video and to review the result before publishing.
• Translated reels will be surfaced to users in their preferred language, and each translated video will include a tag disclosing it was translated using Meta AI.
• The feature is rolling out now to Facebook creators with 1,000+ followers and all public Instagram accounts.

Key takeaways

• English↔Spanish is the current translation direction for Reels.
• The tool can automatically dub and lip-sync translated audio to the video.
• Users can preview translations before publishing and opt into lip-syncing.
• Translated Reels will be surfaced to users in their language, with a transparency tag.
• Deployment is rolling out now to a broad creator base on Facebook and Instagram.

References