Translation for text-based messages (Chat, Email, SMS, and Social Channels such as Facebook and Instagram Messaging) allows you to translate inbound Customer messages from their original language into your preferred language and reply in yours. Customers see your replies in their language, whether in Spanish, French, or most ISO 639-1 standard languages that Translation supports.
This seamless translation allows you to understand and respond to Customers regardless of language barriers, enabling efficient communication without leaving Gladly.
Translation overview
Messages sent by Customers appear in their original language in the Conversation Timeline.
Once the inbound message is translated, the original message is shown in your language [A].
Replies sent in response to the message appear in your language in the Conversation Timeline with a timeline event showing the response’s language (e.g., Spanish) sent to the Customer, and the Customer sees your message in their language [B].
Subsequent replies by the Customer appear in their language and must be translated each time to yours [C].
Translation option in the Composer
The Translate option (
) in the Composer editor translates text to your language based on the language detected [A] in the Customer’s first message.
Translate inbound messages
Translation nuances
Voice translation is not supported. Translation is only for text-based Channels (Email and Messaging).
Every inbound message sent by the Customer in their language must be translated.
Click
next to the message that needs to be translated, select Translate into, and select your desired language from the list. 
Select the language to translate to (e.g., English). You can also use the search feature to look up other available languages for translation.
Tip –The initial list of languages that appears after clicking Translate into are the languages you most frequently use to translate inbound messages.
The message is translated to your chosen language, and the original language (e.g., Spanish) is detected and displayed on the Conversation Timeline.
Translation for email subject lines
An email's subject line remains unstranslated, while only email’d content body is.
Change target translation language
If the language you need to translate to is not in the initial list after clicking Translate into, use the search feature to see a list of additional languages you can translate the message to from the original language. Ask your Team Manager to contact Gladly Support if you don’t see the language you need.
Reply to a translated message
After reading the translated message, reply to the Customer based on the Channel used by the Customer (e.g., Chat).
Enter your response in the Composer, then click
in the Composer to translate your message into the Customer’s language (i.e., Spanish). Considering adding a disclaimer to replies using Translation
There is always opportunity for misunderstanding when communicating across multiple languages. We recommend noting that the Customer has received a translated response in outbound messages to soften any potential misinterpretation.
Here is an example disclaimer that we suggest adding for translated replies: Hello! I am using the help of a translator. Please excuse any grammatical errors in my response.
Click or hit the tab key to accept the translation [A], or you can select or hit Esc key to try again [B].
After accepting and sending the translated response, your reply appears in the Conversation Timeline in your language, and the Customer sees it in theirs.
Change reply language
The language detected based on the Customer’s initial message appears as the default translation language. If this detection happens to be incorrect, click the language name in the Composer and select the accurate language to translate your response to.
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See the original untranslated message
You can see the untranslated or original version of a message you or the Customer sent. Clicknext to the message, then select See original message.
FAQs
What is Translation in text-based messages?
Translation allows you to translate inbound Customer messages in text-based (Chat, Email, SMS, and Social) Channels from their original language into your preferred language and respond in your native language, enabling efficient communication without leaving Gladly.
Why don’t I see the translate option in the composer?
The translation feature is only visible once the beta Text Editor is activated. Otherwise, you won’t see the translation tool () in the Composer. To turn it on, go to your Gladly user profile to activate the beta Text Editor.
How do I translate an inbound message?
Clicknext to the message that needs to be translated, select Translate into, and choose your desired language from the list.
How do I reply to a translated message?
After entering your response, click the Translate option in the Composer () to translate your message into the Customer's language, click or hit the tab key to accept the translation, then click Send.
Is it possible to see the original untranslated message?
Yes, you can view the original version of a message by clicking next to the message and selecting See original message.
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on the top-left corner, then click Contact Gladly Support. Gladly Support's primary operating hours are Monday through Friday, 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time, but you can submit a request anytime.