Forum Discussion

lolaC33's avatar
lolaC33
Copper Contributor
Dec 15, 2023

Copilot language output

In Outlook, when I want to summarize all the exchanges of a conversation, and the interlocutors speak several languages, Copilot is able to detect the dominant language of the conversation?

  • Hello lolaC33,

     

    The short answer is : "Don't mind with the input languages, as long as they are supported by Copilot, it will detect. In the prompt (request), you can specify the language(s) of your choice."

     

    The following explanation applies not just to Copilot, but also to Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), which are utilized by Copilot and various other tools.

     

    Regarding input, language detection occurs at the level of individual statements or subsections of a statement. The Large Language Model (LLM) converts the input from its original language into an internal conceptual representation, consisting of tokens and relations. This process is language-agnostic. During the computation of the response, Copilot's services focus on these concepts, irrespective of the original input language.

     

    As for the output, Copilot translates its response back into the language specified by the user. For instance, if I input a prompt in English, Copilot responds in English; similarly, a prompt in French receives a response in French. The prompt allows me to specify the desired output language. Once I am satisfied with the response in one language, I have the option to request its translation into another language, if needed.

     

    Kind regards,

  • Andre_Caron's avatar
    Andre_Caron
    Iron Contributor

    Hello lolaC33,

     

    The short answer is : "Don't mind with the input languages, as long as they are supported by Copilot, it will detect. In the prompt (request), you can specify the language(s) of your choice."

     

    The following explanation applies not just to Copilot, but also to Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), which are utilized by Copilot and various other tools.

     

    Regarding input, language detection occurs at the level of individual statements or subsections of a statement. The Large Language Model (LLM) converts the input from its original language into an internal conceptual representation, consisting of tokens and relations. This process is language-agnostic. During the computation of the response, Copilot's services focus on these concepts, irrespective of the original input language.

     

    As for the output, Copilot translates its response back into the language specified by the user. For instance, if I input a prompt in English, Copilot responds in English; similarly, a prompt in French receives a response in French. The prompt allows me to specify the desired output language. Once I am satisfied with the response in one language, I have the option to request its translation into another language, if needed.

     

    Kind regards,

    • DavidHinton's avatar
      DavidHinton
      Copper Contributor

      Andre_Caron The draft for co-pilot is rewriting my french email draft in English.  My Office365 language is English, but responding in French.  Also, the language of the orginal email I'm responding to is in French.  There doesn't seem to be a way in the "Draft for co-pilot" email interface to specify language.  

      Thanks.

      • Andre_Caron's avatar
        Andre_Caron
        Iron Contributor

        Hi DavidHinton,

        Sorry to read about your situation. Yes, the language selection by Copilot get me confused. When the result language is not what I expected, I prompt Copilot to translate to the desired language. It is also possible to mentioned in the prompt : "Please, from now on, let's continue this conversation in ..." or "Merci de continuer cette conversation en..."

         

        Salutations,

        AndrĂ© 

    • EvelynTang's avatar
      EvelynTang
      Copper Contributor

      Thanks for the respone, I've learned a lot.

      But it seems something weird in my test result.

      I'm using draft function in Copilot in Outlook. My prompt is traditional Chinese which is supported language, but I got English respone.

      I also tried add "Please write in traditional Chinese" in prompt, but it still reponse in English.

      Why so weird. 

       

      • FernandoTrigo's avatar
        FernandoTrigo
        Brass Contributor
        I have the same problem when I want the answer to be given to me in Portuguese and not in Brazilian Portuguese.
  • LeonPavesic's avatar
    LeonPavesic
    Silver Contributor

    Hi lolaC33,

    while Outlook's Copilot feature does support multiple languages, it is not clear whether it can accurately and automatically detect the dominant language in a multilingual conversation.

    Adjusting the language settings for Copilot can be done through Microsoft 365 or Bing Chat settings.

    Frequently asked questions about Copilot in Outlook - Microsoft Support
    Copilot for Microsoft 365 supported languages - Microsoft Support


    Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
    This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.


    If the post was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Like.


    Kindest regards,


    Leon Pavesic
    (LinkedIn)

Resources