Live Chat Translation
Answer visitors in their own language — incoming messages arrive in the language you read, replies go out in theirs. Runs in the operator's Chrome, on-device.
Live Chat Translation lets you answer a visitor who writes in a language you don't speak — without asking them to switch, and without leaving the conversation.
You pick the one language you read in. From then on, incoming visitor messages appear in that language, and (if you want it) your replies are translated into the language that visitor is writing in before they're sent. The visitor simply has a conversation in their own language.
Translation is set up and used in Dashboard → Live Chat, on top of Live Agent. There is no extension to install, no per-website setting and no API key.
It runs inside your browser. Translation is done by the browser's built-in on-device translator, so it needs a desktop browser that has one, such as a recent Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. It doesn't work in Safari, Firefox, or on mobile — there the dashboard says so plainly and translation stays off. The requirement applies to your browser only, not to your visitors'.
What it is (and isn't)
- You choose your language; the visitor's is detected. The visitor's language is detected automatically from what they write. You don't pick it, and they aren't asked to switch.
- Detection follows the conversation. It's per conversation and runs again on each new visitor message, so if a visitor switches language mid-chat, the conversation follows them.
- Your own words stay on screen. After you send a translated reply, the bubble keeps showing what you typed while that tab stays open — after a reload, your earlier replies are shown translated back from what the visitor received — and the version that actually went out is one click away under "show sent version".
- Incoming messages are labelled. A translated visitor message carries a "Translated from <language> · show original" line, so you can check the raw text yourself.
- It is not our AI. We don't run a translation model on our servers, and there is no server-side translation. It's the browser's own built-in translator, running on your machine — which also means the conversation text isn't handed to an outside translation service.
Machine translation isn't perfect. Treat it as a very good first pass, not a certified translation. When a phrasing looks off — or the stakes are high — hit show original and read the visitor's actual words.
Turning it on
- Open the dashboard in a desktop browser with the built-in translator, such as a recent Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. On a browser without it the translation controls stay disabled with an explanation.
- Go to Live Chat → Settings → Translation.
- Switch on Translate conversations.
- Under Translate messages into, pick the language you read in.
- Translate my replies is on by default, so what you write is converted into the visitor's language before sending. Switch it off to send your replies as you type them.
The first time a language pair is used, the browser downloads a language model for it. The browser starts a download only after a click, so that first time the conversation shows a button to press; how long the download takes depends on your connection. Once the models are on your computer, translation starts by itself whenever you open the dashboard in that browser.
The three settings
The three settings live in Live Chat → Settings → Translation, and they are personal — they belong to you as an operator, not to the website. Two people answering the same site can read in two different languages.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Translate conversations | The master switch for translation in your chats. |
| Translate messages into | The language incoming visitor messages are shown to you in. It affects only what you see. |
| Translate my replies | Translates what you write into the language the visitor is writing in, before it's sent. On by default. |
38 languages are offered.
Day to day, in a conversation
The thread header carries a small globe control that shows your current state ("Reading in: English", "Translation paused", or "Translation off"). Opening it lets you switch translation on or off and change the language you read in — plus two things that apply to this conversation only:
- Pause translation here — keep translation on in your other conversations, but read and answer this one untranslated. The pause lasts until you reload or close the tab.
- Always show originals — show the visitor's raw text in this conversation instead of the translated version, until you open another conversation.
When translating a reply fails
If your reply would go out untranslated — the visitor's language isn't recognised yet, the language pair isn't loaded, or the translation failed — the dashboard stops and asks you before sending it. You can send it as written or keep editing. It asks once per conversation: after you choose to send as written, later replies in that conversation go out as written without the question, until you reload the tab.
With Translate my replies on, a reply that could not be translated is never sent in your own language unless you choose to send it.
What we store
- Only the message that was actually delivered to the visitor is stored — i.e. the version in the visitor's language.
- Your typed original is not stored on our servers. It is kept in your browser's memory so you can keep seeing your own words, and it's gone when you close or reload the tab or sign out. If you need a record of what you typed, keep your own copy.
- Because translation happens in your browser, we do not send the conversation text to a translation service.
How long live-chat messages are kept is described in Live Agent.
Requirements and limits
- A desktop browser with the built-in translator, such as a recent Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, on the operator's machine. Not Safari, not Firefox, not mobile browsers.
- Languages — the set listed above.
- First use of a language pair needs one click and a download; after that the pair starts without a click.
- Per-operator, not per-website — each operator turns it on and picks their own reading language.
- Machine quality — good, not flawless. Show original lets you check the visitor's own words.
- No setup for visitors — the widget works for them as usual, and they are not asked to switch language.
Troubleshooting
"The translation controls are greyed out"
- You're not on a supported browser. Translation needs a desktop browser with the built-in translator, such as a recent Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge; Safari, Firefox and mobile browsers don't have it. Open the dashboard in Chrome or Edge and the controls become available.
"Translation is on, but messages in this tab aren't translated"
- The browser downloads a language model only after a click. While the models aren't on your computer yet, the conversation shows a button to start translation or load the visitor's language; press it once. Once the models are downloaded, translation starts by itself when you open the dashboard.
"It says it's getting translation ready"
- A language model is downloading. It's downloaded once per language pair, and how long it takes depends on your connection. After that, the pair is ready whenever you open the dashboard in that browser.
"It says the visitor's language isn't known yet"
- Detection needs something to work with, and a two-word opener may not be enough. Usually one more message from the visitor is enough. In the meantime you can send your reply as written.
"A language pair won't translate"
- Some pairs aren't available in the browser's built-in translator. The composer tells you so, and the dashboard asks before your reply is sent (once per conversation); you can send your message as written if you choose to.
"The visitor switched language halfway through"
- That's handled: detection runs again on each new visitor message, so once their new language is recognised, your replies go out in it.
"My teammate reads in a different language"
- That's expected. The reading language is personal to each operator, so two people on the same website can each read in their own.
Want a hand setting this up for a multilingual support team? Email support@novixagent.ai — happy to walk you through it.