Auto-translate lets your team support customers in any language. Customer messages appear in your language, and your replies reach the customer in theirs, automatically. This article shows you how to turn it on and how to work with translated conversations.

## Before you begin

* Auto-translate is available on all paid plans on both self-hosted and Chatwoot Cloud.

* You need to be an **administrator** to turn it on.

* Messages are translated into the language your Chatwoot dashboard is set to. Each agent can change this under **Profile Settings → Preferred Language**. If an agent hasn't picked one, the account's default language is used.

## Step 1: Turn on Auto-translate

1. Go to **Settings → Conversation Workflows**.

2. In the **Translation** section, choose a translation service:

   * **Captain**: AI translations that sound natural and keep your tone.

   * **Google Translate**: quick, reliable translations from Google. If it shows **Not connected**, click **Connect** and follow the steps first.

3. Turn on the **Auto-translate conversations** toggle.

   ![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCT3JBS2djPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--c55fd4268279338642a1d4ab5646b999dc06feb6/01-settings.png?cw_image_width=625px)


*Settings → Conversation Workflows → Translation*

That's it. Auto-translate now works in every conversation in your account. Agents don't need to set anything up.

## Step 2: Read customer messages in your language

Open any conversation. When a customer writes in another language, their message appears already translated, with a **View original** link underneath that names the language they wrote in.

In the example below, Sophie writes in French and the agent reads her messages in English.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCUG5BS2djPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--152ffeb89fc5717aa5ce6c85ca5299e5349ee3a4/02-reading-in-your-language.png?cw_image_width=538px)

*Sophie's French messages appear in English. The agent's English reply is sent to her in French.*

## Step 3: Reply in your own language

Type your reply in your own language and send it as usual. Chatwoot translates it into the customer's language before it reaches them. A **View translated** link appears under your reply.

## Step 4: Check the original or translated text

You can always see exactly what was written or sent:

* On a **customer message**, click **View original** to see their exact words.

* On **your reply**, click **View translated** to see the version the customer received.

* Click the link again to switch back.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCQ2JCS2djPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--855f8468ebe642120ed9c20efdac9ae40b3b7a05/03-view-original.png?cw_image_width=440px)

*Sophie's original French message, and the French version of the agent's reply*

## What you'll see on messages

| What you see                                           | What it means                                                                                  |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Purple shimmering text with **Translating…**           | A customer message is being translated into your language. This usually takes a second or two. |
| Purple shimmering text with **Translating to French…** | Your reply is being translated into the customer's language before it's delivered.             |
| **View original (French)**                             | The customer's message was translated. Click to see what they wrote.                           |
| **View translated (French)**                           | Your reply was translated. Click to see what the customer received.                            |
| **Could not translate**                                | A customer message couldn't be translated and is shown as they wrote it.                       |
| **Could not translate, sent as typed**                 | Your reply couldn't be translated, so the customer received your original text.                |


A new customer message is being translated into English

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCR3JCS2djPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--51a46f5afc68275132a18bd406b42fb3338095d2/04-customer-message-translating.png?cw_image_width=575px)

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCS25CS2djPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--13595eda965ef126fe476564649b479d5cd90262/05-translating-reply-and-same-language.png?cw_image_width=518px)

*Sophie's English message shows no translation line. The agent's latest reply is being translated to French.*

## Frequently asked questions

### How does Chatwoot know which language to reply in?

Chatwoot detects the language the customer is writing in and translates your replies into that language.

### What happens if the customer switches to my language?

Their messages appear exactly as written, with nothing extra underneath. Your replies follow whatever language the customer is using in the conversation.

### Are private notes translated?

No. Only messages the customer can see are translated. Private notes stay exactly as you wrote them.

### Do I still need the Translate option in the message menu?

No. With Auto-translate on, messages are translated for you, so the manual **Translate** option is hidden for those messages.

### Can I switch between Captain and Google Translate?

Yes. Go back to **Settings → Conversation Workflows** and pick the other service. New messages use the service you choose.