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 initially in their language in the Conversation Timeline, but are quickly and automatically translated to your language.
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).
Click
next to the message that needs to be translated, select Translate into.
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.
You must only translate the first inbound message to detect the Customer’s language and your preferred language to respond. Subsequent Customer replies are automatically translated into your language.
Translation for email subject lines
An email's subject line remains unstranslated, while only email’d content body is.
Change the 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.
Subsequent Customer replies are automatically translated into your language.
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.
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.
Why am I getting the “Your content is too long” error?
In most cases, the Translation feature can handle text that's about 1,000 words long. But if you're trying to translate something with many URLs and underlying formatting, you might run into this “Your content is too long. Try again with less text” error message even if your text is under 1,000 words. To sort this out, try removing any unnecessary URLs and formatting from the customer communication before re-translating
Can I change the language I’m translating into partway through the Conversation?
Yes, although this scenario is unlikely, it is possible to change the language you are translating a Customer’s communication into from one language to another, and to change the language you are translating your responses to the Customer into in the middle of a Conversation.
Once you have initiated the translation process by clicking “Translate into” on the first inbound message from the Customer, Gladly will automatically translate every subsequent inbound Customer message within the session. You can overwrite the automatic translation by clickingand selecting “Translate into.” From there, you can choose a different language to translate into.