Auto translate a Slack channel
Set the languages once and the channel takes care of itself. Every message anyone posts gets translated for everyone, in the thread, within seconds.
Short answer. Add Kiki to the channel, run /translate, and pick the languages. That is the entire setup. No browser extensions, no per person configuration, and nobody has to remember a command again. It works on every Slack plan, including Free.
The one minute setup
- Add Kiki to your workspace from the install link. Works on every Slack plan, and only one person has to do this.
- Invite Kiki to the channel. Type
/invite @Kikiin the channel you want translated. - Set the languages once. Run
/translateand pick two to four, or just write "Hey Kiki, set English and Spanish here." Done. The channel now translates itself.
From that moment, a teammate in Madrid types Spanish, a teammate in Tokyo reads Japanese, and neither of them thinks about translation again. Each translation appears in the thread under the original message, attributed to the person who wrote it.
Why "set once" beats per message translation
Most ways of translating Slack ask somebody to do something for every single message. Slack's built-in Translate action means hovering a message, opening a menu, and reading a result only you can see. With slash command translators you retype a command every time, and with emoji reaction ones somebody has to remember to react at all.
That works for one message. It fails for a channel where translation is needed all day. The moment people have to remember to do it, half the conversation never gets translated, and whoever speaks the minority language quietly falls behind.
Channel level auto translation flips the burden. The channel remembers its languages so people do not have to. New members inherit the setup the moment they join. There is nothing to opt into, so the person who reads Spanish is never one forgotten reaction away from missing a decision.
If you want the full tour of the manual methods and when they make sense, we wrote up all three in how to translate Slack messages.
Three setups teams actually use
One shared channel, several languages. Set two to four languages on a channel like #general and everyone writes natively. Good for teams whose members are mixed across offices.
Mirror channels. Keep #support in English and #support-ja in Japanese, and let Kiki mirror them. Every message crosses over, translated, under the original author's name. Each group gets a channel that feels fully native.
Slack Connect with a partner or client. Auto translation runs in shared channels too, so you can work with an agency in São Paulo or a customer in Berlin without either side switching languages.
Common questions
Can a Slack channel translate messages automatically?
Yes, with a translation app. Slack's built-in Translate action is manual and per message. Add Kiki to the channel, set its languages once, and every message anyone posts is translated for the whole channel automatically, attributed to the original author.
Do my teammates need to install or configure anything?
No. One person adds Kiki and sets the channel languages. Everyone else just keeps typing in their own language. There is no per person setup, no browser extension, and nothing to remember.
Does auto translation work on the free Slack plan?
Yes. Kiki works on every Slack plan, including Free. Slack's own AI translation requires the Business+ plan for the entire company, which is a much bigger purchase than adding one app to one channel.
Can I auto translate into more than two languages?
Yes. A channel can run two to four active languages at once, so a single channel can carry English, Spanish, and Japanese together. Each message is translated into the other languages the channel has set.
What about two channels in different languages acting as one?
Kiki calls that a mirror. Link a channel like #general with #general-es and every message flows both ways, translated, under the original author's name. Each side reads and writes in its own language.
Your channel can be bilingual before your coffee cools
One install, one command, every plan. Free to start.