Chat widget languages
The chat widget speaks 12 languages and picks the visitor's browser language automatically. Learn which languages are included and how to switch.
Last updated 2 min read
Shoppers feel more at ease in their own language. The chat widget translates its buttons, labels and built-in messages into 12 languages and chooses the right one for each visitor automatically.
Before you start
- Who can do this: nothing to set up for the automatic choice. A developer can force a language with one line of code.
- Plan: all plans.
- Time: none for the default; a few minutes for a language switcher.
Step by step
The widget picks the language by itself. To follow your own site's language switcher instead:
- Make sure the chat snippet is installed.
- When the shopper picks a language on your site, call
setLocalewith its tag:
Helpdesk.setLocale('fr');
- Open the chat. Its buttons and labels switch to the new language.
What happens next
The widget shows its own texts in the chosen language, for example Start a conversation, Write a message… and Before we start in English become their translations. Right-to-left languages such as Arabic flip the layout.
The chat ticket records the visitor's language. Your own texts are shown as you wrote them.
Included languages
| Language | Tag |
|---|---|
| English | en |
| Spanish | es |
| French | fr |
| German | de |
| Portuguese | pt |
| Italian | it |
| Dutch | nl |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tl |
| Japanese | ja |
| Chinese | zh |
| Arabic | ar |
| Korean | ko |
Regional tags such as pt-BR use the closest match.
Translated and not translated
| Translated by the widget | Shown as you typed it |
|---|---|
| Buttons, placeholders, pre-chat labels, "We're away right now", rating prompt | Header title, welcome message, reply time, message outside business hours |
Tips
- Test the widget in another language by changing your browser's preferred language, or by calling
Helpdesk.setLocale('es')from the browser console on your site. - Write your own texts in the language most of your customers use.
- If you serve two languages equally, keep your texts short and neutral, such as "Hi, how can we help?".
- Use Draft with AI to reply in a language you do not speak, and check the draft before sending. See Draft replies with AI.
Troubleshooting
The widget shows English for a supported language
The visitor's browser is set to English or to a language that is not in the list. Use setLocale if your site knows the shopper's choice.
My welcome message is not translated
That is expected. Only the widget's built-in texts are translated.
Frequently asked questions
Which languages does the Hushdesk chat widget support?
Twelve. English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Filipino (Tagalog), Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Korean. The buttons, labels and built-in messages, such as the pre-chat form and the away banner title, are translated. Arabic is shown right to left.
How does the chat widget choose a language?
It reads the visitor's browser language and picks the closest supported one, so a visitor whose browser is set to French sees the widget in French. If the browser language is not supported, the widget falls back to English. Your own texts are never translated automatically.
Are my welcome and away messages translated?
No. Texts you write yourself, such as the header title, welcome message, reply time and the message outside business hours, are shown exactly as you typed them in every language. Write them in the language most of your shoppers use.
Can I force the chat widget into one language?
Yes, with one line of code. Call Helpdesk.setLocale with a language tag, such as setLocale('de') for German. Use it if your site has its own language switcher, so the chat follows the language the shopper picked on your site.
Can agents reply in the customer's language?
Agents reply in whatever language they write. The chat ticket records the visitor's language, which helps when routing. Draft with AI and the AI agent write in the language of the conversation, so they can help when your team does not speak it.
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Related articles
- Control the chat widget with JavaScriptOpen, close or toggle chat from your own buttons, listen for events, change the language and remove the widget, using the window.Helpdesk API.
- Style your chat widgetPick a look for the chat widget, set your brand colour, font, corners and light or dark mode, and edit the header, all with a live preview.
- Set chat away hours and the offline messageShow an away message in the chat widget outside your business hours. Set the hours under Business hours and write the message on the Behaviour tab.
Still stuck?
Chat with the Hushdesk team. A person answers on every plan.