AI Translation helps your business expand into new markets by breaking language barriers. It allows you to deliver exceptional customer support in multiple languages without requiring fluency in those languages.
 
 
This help file describes how to set up AI Translation and how it works with your messages and other AI features.

Before you start 

  • AI Translation is available as an add-on. Take a look at our pricing page to find out more.
  • Ensure agents have configured their Preferred language and Languages I understand settings to use this feature effectively. (See below).

01 How does AI Translation work?

AI Translation automatically detects the language of incoming messages, translates them into the agent's preferred language and offers the option to translate responses back into the customer’s language. Here’s how it works:

  1. Set Up Preferred Language:

    Each agent selects their preferred language under:
    Settings > Account > Profile Preferences > General tab > Preferred Language.
    This is the language which shows across the eDesk UI and in which messages will be displayed, unless the message is in a language the agent already understands. 

  2. Define Languages You Understand:

    Agents list languages they understand under:
    Settings > Account > Profile Preferences > Mailbox tab > Languages I understand.
    Messages in these languages will not be translated. 

  3. Translation Process for Messages:

    • eDesk detects the language of incoming tickets.
    • If the message is in a language the agent understands, it will not be translated. Otherwise, it’s translated into the agent’s preferred language.
    • The agent can click the globe icon at the bottom of the message to view the original language.

  4. Responding to Messages:

    • Agents type or generate a reply in the Reply Box and press Send.
    • Before sending, they can choose to send the response in the customer’s language, their preferred language, or another language using the Translate options.
    • The response can be reviewed and edited before sending.

Note: This translation process applies to manual messages and the Smart Reply feature. Additional steps are required for templates (see below).

02 AI Translation and Templates

Templates, including those used in Agent Assist and HandsFree, require manual translations. Here’s how to add translations to templates:

  1. Go to Settings > Smart Tools > Templates. 
  2. Select the template you want to translate.
  3. Under Messages and Languages, click Add +.
  4. Choose the language and enter the translated version of your message.
    • The subject field is optional but will not appear in response emails.
  5. Click Save Changes to save the translation.
  6. Repeat for additional languages as needed.

03 How does Translate work with templates?

For manual templates:

  • If your preferred language is English and you receive a message in French, simply choose the template from the template dropdown and it will populate in French in the reply box.  
  • If you use the shortcut _ (underscore button) and start to type the name of the template, both the English and French versions will appear and you can choose your desired language.

    For help setting up manual templates, click here.

For auto-replies:

  • If a French translation is added to an English auto-reply, French messages will receive the reply in French automatically.
  • If no translation exists for the message language (e.g., German), the auto-reply will send in the template’s default language (e.g., English).
          For help setting up auto-replies, click here.

For Agent Assist:

  • When a message in French arrives and matches an AI classification with a French primary template, the AI will suggest the French version when you select the Sparkle icon.
  • Agents can choose another language version from the Reply Language menu if needed before sending.Agent Assist AI response
  • If you open the ticket to select the Secondary templates, you'll see the French version of those templates in the Reply Box: French version in the Reply Box for Agent Assist.

          For more on Agent Assist, click here. 

For HandsFree:

  • If HandsFree is enabled and the classification’s primary template includes a French version, eDesk will send the French template automatically.

          To learn more about HandsFree, click here. 

Further readings: 

To learn about language detection for AI Responses in eDesk, click here.
You can read more about our of AI tools here.