No more language barriers: Microsoft Edge might add a video translation feature to YouTube

Priya Walia

Leopeva64, a prominent leaker on X (formerly Twitter), has recently discovered a new feature in the Canary preview version of Microsoft Edge. The exciting development suggests that the popular web browser may soon be able to translate videos or at least have a function to achieve this.

During their testing, Leopeva64 observed something intriguing while hovering over a YouTube video clip in the Edge browser. Alongside the option for picture-in-picture viewing, a translate icon suddenly appeared. However, clicking on the icon currently yields no result.

Nonetheless, it is believed that this icon holds the potential to enable video playback with real-time translations provided by the browser itself.

Drawing upon their astute observations, Leopeva64 proposed an interesting theory. They suggested that this translate function is closely tied to the ‘Translate’ pane in Edge, which appears when users click the newly introduced translate button in Edge’s PDF reader.

According to Leopeva64, the translated version of the video may appear in this panel, conveniently located beside the playing clip.

Granted, this theory is purely speculative for now, but it opens up a world of possibilities. If Microsoft successfully implements this feature, users could enjoy videos in different languages without the need for external translation tools.

Imagine watching a foreign film or a tutorial in a language you don’t understand and having the translation seamlessly delivered by the browser itself. The potential is immense.

As of now, the feature remains in the testing phase, but its potential hints at a bright future for Microsoft Edge users. So stay tuned, as this new translation functionality could soon enhance your video-watching experience from within your browser.