Auto-forwarding handles the 1-on-1 case beautifully. But sometimes the conversation isn't 1-on-1 — it's a small family chat, a tight friend group, or a tiny work team where one person speaks a different language than the rest. Group voice translation is built for that.
Add Respeak to a small Telegram group, and every voice message gets translated in real time. Your voice goes out to the others in their language. Their voices come back to you in yours. The bot replies to each voice note with the translated audio, right inside the group, so the conversation stays in one place and feels natural.
This guide covers the full setup, the rules, the limits, and the edge cases. About 5 minutes.
Who this is for
- A bilingual family chat where one parent doesn't speak the same language as the kids.
- A small friend group with one person who joined from another country.
- A tiny work team coordinating voice notes across a language barrier.
- Any group where one person — the Pro user — wants to be the bridge.
What you need before you start
- A Pro Respeak plan ($5.99/mo). Group translation is Pro-only — Free and Basic don't include it.
- You've completed the language setup in your DM with @TryRespeakBot (your source language and your target language). The bot uses both to translate inside the group.
- A small Telegram group — up to 10 members. More on the limit below.
- About one minute.
The setup, in three steps
Step 1 — Make sure you're set up in your DM with the bot
Open @TryRespeakBot, run /start, and pick the language you speak and the language you want translations into. The group will use exactly these two languages. If you skip this, the bot can't activate the group.
Step 2 — Add @TryRespeakBot to your group
Open your Telegram group → group name at the top → Add member → search @TryRespeakBot → add. The moment the bot joins, it checks two things: that you're on Pro, and that the group has 10 or fewer members. If either check fails, it posts a short message and leaves automatically.
Step 3 — Make the bot an admin (recommended)
By default, Telegram hides voice messages from non-admin bots — that's a privacy default of the platform, not Respeak. To make sure the bot hears every voice message, promote it to admin: tap the bot's name → Promote to admin. You don't need to give it any special powers; admin status alone unlocks message visibility. The bot will post a confirmation when it's active.
How translations flow once active
Once the bot is admin in your group, it listens to every voice message and decides what to translate based on who sent it.
When you (the Pro user) speak
Your voice gets translated into your target language — the language you set up in your DM with the bot. The bot replies to your voice message with the translated audio. The other members hear what you said, in their language. You and they stay in one continuous conversation.
When someone else in the group speaks
Their voice gets translated into your source language — the language you speak. The bot replies to their voice message with the translated audio, and you get a voice you can actually understand without leaving the group.
Everyone in the group sees both the original voice and the translated reply. There's no separate DM, no private side channel — the whole conversation is right there in the group.
One language pair per group. The bot translates between exactly two languages: yours and your target. If your group has speakers of three or more languages, the bot will only handle the two you set up. That's the trade-off for keeping things fast and predictable.
The rules and edge cases
Pro-only — and only Pro members can add the bot
When the bot joins a group, it checks who added it. If that person isn't on Pro, the bot posts a short upgrade prompt and leaves immediately. This keeps the cost of group translation predictable: there's always exactly one paying user behind every active group.
Up to 10 members per group
Group translation is meant for small chats — families, close friends, tight work pods. We cap each group at 10 members at the moment the bot joins. If your group has more, the bot won't activate. We may raise this limit on a higher tier in the future, but for now: 10 is the line.
Audio only, by design
The bot only translates voice messages and audio notes. Text messages, photos, stickers, and reactions are ignored — Respeak isn't a chat translator, it's a voice translator. If you want text translation, Telegram's built-in transcribe feature plus a translation app handles that case fine.
Who pays — always you
Every translation in the group counts against your Pro plan, regardless of who sent the original voice. Pro is unlimited, so in normal use this is invisible. If you ever downgrade away from Pro, the bot will quietly stop translating and leave the group on its next message — no surprise charges, no awkward state.
What happens if the bot isn't an admin
If you forget to promote the bot, Telegram only shows it commands and replies to its own messages. Other people's voice notes won't reach the bot at all, which means they won't get translated. The fix is one tap: promote it to admin. No restart needed.
Removing the bot
To stop using the feature, just remove the bot from the group like any other member: group settings → bot → Remove. The group stays; the bot leaves. You can re-add it later — the same setup applies.
Privacy
Voice audio is processed in real time and not stored after the translated reply is delivered. The same privacy rules that apply to solo and forwarded messages apply inside groups. See our Privacy Policy for the full version.
The quick checklist
- You're on Pro ✓
- Your DM with the bot has both source and target languages set ✓
- Group has 10 or fewer members ✓
- Bot is added as admin in the group ✓
- Anyone records a voice message → translated reply lands in seconds ✓
Common questions
Can I have more than one paying user in the same group? Right now the group is tied to a single Pro user — whoever added the bot. If two Pro users are in the same group, only the one who added the bot drives the language pair.
Can each member pick their own language? Not in this version. The group uses your two languages — the languages on your account. We may add per-member language preferences in a future tier.
Does this work in Telegram channels or supergroups with 100+ members? Channels: no. Large supergroups: not yet — the 10-member cap applies. The feature is designed for small, intimate groups where every voice note matters.
Can I use both auto-forwarding and group translation at the same time? Yes. Auto-forwarding is your 1-on-1 channel; group translation is your small-group channel. They don't interfere — both run on your Pro plan.
What if my group already has more than 10 people? The bot will leave with a message explaining the limit. You can split the group, remove inactive members down to 10, or wait for a higher-cap tier.