How to Video Call Someone Who Speaks Another Language

Can you video call someone who doesn’t speak your language?

Yes, and it often goes better than people expect. On a video call you see each other, so a smile, a nod or a thumbs-up says a lot before anyone types a word. What a shared language would normally do — names, places, questions — you can move into text, where translation is easy.

The calls that go well usually mix three things: a little spoken language (even badly), short typed messages, and plenty of showing instead of telling. The rest of this guide is how to do each one.

Let the chat box do the translating

On Umingle Video, every call has a chat box on the call screen. When she writes in Spanish, Portuguese or any other language, tap her message and it is translated into yours. You keep talking face to face; the text is there for the words that would otherwise get lost.

It is a text translation of the messages you receive — not a voice interpreter. Speech is not translated, so for anything that matters, type it.

Write messages that translate well

Machine translation is good at plain sentences and bad at everything else. A few habits make a big difference:

One idea per message. “Where do you live?” translates cleanly. “So where are you based, like day to day?” does not.
Skip slang and idioms. “It’s raining cats and dogs” arrives as nonsense. “It is raining a lot here” arrives as meant.
Write numbers and names out. Times (“9 pm”), ages, city names and your name are where misunderstandings start, so type them rather than say them.
Use full words. “you” not “u”, “because” not “bc”. Abbreviations confuse translators.
Emojis travel well. 😂, 👍 and ❤️ need no translation.

A few phrases worth learning

Translation handles the long sentences, but saying even one word in her language changes the mood of a call. These seven cover the first minute and the last.

English	Spanish	Portuguese (Brazil)	Arabic
Hi!	¡Hola!	Oi!	مرحبا (marhaban)
Where are you from?	¿De dónde eres?	De onde você é?	من أين أنتِ؟ (min ayna anti?)
Nice to meet you	Mucho gusto	Prazer em te conhecer	تشرفت بمعرفتك (tasharraftu bi-ma‘rifatik)
I don’t understand	No entiendo	Não entendi	لا أفهم (la afham)
Can you write it?	¿Puedes escribirlo?	Pode escrever?	هل يمكنك كتابتها؟ (hal yumkinuki kitabatuha?)
Thank you	Gracias	Obrigado	شكرا (shukran)
Bye, take care	Adiós, cuídate	Tchau, se cuida	مع السلامة (ma‘a as-salama)

Do not worry about the accent. Getting it a little wrong is usually what starts the laughing — and the conversation.

Say it without words

Video gives you a whole second channel that a voice call does not have:

Show, don’t describe. Point the camera at the view from your window, your coffee, your pet. Everyone understands a cat.
Use your hands. A thumbs-up, a shrug, holding up fingers for numbers — simple gestures read the same in most places.
Keep your face in the light. Expressions do half the talking, so sit facing a lamp or a window rather than with it behind you.
Slow down. When you do speak, short sentences with small pauses are far easier for a second-language listener than fast, long ones.

Check what time it is for her

Someone on the other side of the world may be calling at breakfast while you are winding down at night. Asking “What time is it there?” is an easy first question that needs no grammar — and it explains a lot about the mood on the other side of the screen.

When it isn’t working

Some calls will not click, language or not, and that is fine. You can end a call at any moment, or tap Next once its short countdown finishes to meet someone else. A quick “Thank you, bye!” — in her language if you learned it above — is a kind way to leave.

If someone is rude or makes you uncomfortable, report them right from the call screen, or block them. Reports are reviewed by people, and a block takes effect right away. More in the Safety Center.