Translations

Manually override auto-translated content for multilingual agents.

The Translations page is only visible for multilingual projects with additional languages configured.

Agent Studio can build agents in English that respond to callers in other languages – the LLM handles most translation automatically. However, some content can’t be auto-translated well: hard-coded utterances in functions, delay control responses, and phrases where cultural nuances matter. The Translations page gives you a central place to manage these overrides.

You create translation cards that store language-specific versions of content, then reference them throughout your project using a translation key.

You don’t need to add every utterance to the Translations page. Only use it for content where the auto-translation isn’t good enough. If you’re satisfied with the LLM’s translations, you don’t need this page at all.

When to use translations

Translations are useful when:

• Auto-translated phrasing sounds unnatural – for example, “Please hold” auto-translates correctly to British English but “Please bear with me” sounds more natural
• Concepts don’t exist in the target language – for example, “Spell the name” has no direct equivalent in Mandarin or Japanese, so a direct translation sounds unnatural
• Domain-specific terms need precise translations that the LLM gets wrong
• Cultural nuances require different phrasing – extra politeness levels in Japanese, gender-based formality in Hindi or Polish
• Hard-coded utterances in functions need language-specific versions
• Greeting or disclaimer messages need manual translation

How it works

1. Create a translation card with the content you want translated
2. The card auto-translates to all configured languages on save
3. Manually edit any translation that needs improvement – these are marked as “Manually Translated”
4. Reference the card in your project using its Translation Key

Creating a translation card

1. Go to Channels > Response Control > Translations
2. Click Add translation
3. Enter the content in your main language
4. Set a Translation Key – this is how you’ll reference the card elsewhere
5. Save – auto-translations are generated for all configured languages

Manually overriding translations

After a card is created, each language shows a status:

• Auto-Translated – generated automatically on save
• Manually Translated – you’ve edited the translation for this language

To override a translation, click into the language field and edit the text directly.

Using translations in your project

In prompts and content

Insert a translation using the action menu (similar to inserting a variant) in:

• Greeting and disclaimer messages
• Behavior rules (style guides)
• Prompts in Managed Topics
• Delay control responses
• SMS templates

In functions

For hard-coded utterances in functions, access translations using the conv.translations object:

conv.translations.tn_greeting

For translation keys with special characters:

getattr(conv.translations, "key with special chars")

Language-specific style guides

Translation cards handle specific phrases, but broader behavioral differences across languages are best managed in Behavior rules. Add language-specific style guides to make the agent behave more naturally in each language:

• Japanese – extra politeness and honorific language
• Hindi and Polish – gender-based formality
• German – formal “Sie” vs informal “du” based on context
• Spanish – regional variation between Latin America and Spain

Use <language:xx> tags in behavior rules to scope style guides to specific languages.

Best practices

• Only translate what needs overriding. If auto-translation works, don’t add it to the Translations page.
• Use descriptive translation keys. Keys like tn_hold_message are easier to manage than tn_1.
• Test with native speakers before going live – auto-translations may be technically correct but sound unnatural.
• Keep the main language content up to date. When you edit the main language text on a card, auto-translations regenerate for languages that haven’t been manually overridden.

Related pages

Pronunciations

Control how your agent pronounces specific terms.

Stop keywords

Block or log specific phrases in agent responses.

Multilingual setup

Configure languages and voices for your agent.