If you've been requesting and managing translations on the ServiceNow platform you probably already know the drill:
- different content types are scattered across the platform,
- you are not sure what has been translated and what hasn’t,
- creating localization tasks is a manual and repetitive task,
- is the quality of the translations good enough?
Localization Workspace was built to fix that, and this article covers how to install it, as well as share some top tips and practices that will help you get the most out of it. But before we get into that, let’s first understand what Localization Workspace is.
What is Localization Workspace?
Localization Workspace is a translation control centre, with a centralized interface that allows for translation request submission, management and governance. It gives Localization Managers, admins, and requestors a single place to manage the end-to-end translation lifecycle, from submitting translation requests through to the delivery of the translated content.
Localization Workspace runs on Localization Framework and before installing Localization Workspace you should ensure that you have the following installed in this order:
1. A non-English language plug-in
2. Localization Framework
3. [Optional] Dynamic Translation if you want to use machine translation in your workflows
When you have checked the above points, install Localization Workspace from the ServiceNow Store here.
💡Our top tips and best practices
What follows are the top tips and best practices on how to configure Localization Workspace for optimal use.
1. Run the Guided Setup
This is the first thing you should do. The Guided Setup walks you through each required configuration task chronologically so that you are set up for success.
To access the Guided Setup go to All > Guided Setup > Localization Workspace Guided Setup:
2. Get Familiar with Configuration Hub
Once the initial setup is complete, Configuration Hub is where all the different settings live. It centralizes configuration for Localization Framework and Dynamic Translation.
To access Configuration Hub go to All > Localization Workspace > Configuration Hub:
Learn more about Configuration Hub in the product documentation.
3. Set your Translation Preferences
Translation Preferences ensure that translation requests are assigned to the correct translation method of choice when submitting a request. The translation preferences chosen here are stored and used in Localization Workspace during the request submission process.
To access Translation Preferences, go to All > Localization Workspace > Configuration Hub > Settings > Translation Preferences:
Learn more about Translation Preferences in the product documentation.
4. Configure Workflow Preferences
Workflow Preferences ensure that your content follows the correct steps throughout the translation lifecycle from approval to publication of translated content. When a translation request is submitted through Localization Workspace, Localization Workspace will use the translation workflows which you have configured.
To access Workflow Preferences, go to All > Localization Workspace > Configuration Hub > Settings > Workflow Preferences:
Learn more about Workflow Preferences in the product documentation.
5. Configure Language Providers
Before you can do anything else, you need at least one language provider configured. Localization Workspace supports both human translation (via a 3rd party) and machine translation.
To set up Language Providers go to All > Localization Workspace > Language Setup > Language Providers:
Learn more about Language Providers in the product documentation.
6. Create Language Groups to simplify and streamline translation processes
Creating Language groups, which needs at least 2 languages, allows requestors to select configured language groups rather than adding each language individually to the request. Language Groups are recommended if you have specific tiers of languages or regional groups of languages for which repeated translation requests are required.
To create Language Groups, go to All > Localization Workspace > Language Setup > Language Groups:
❗️Important: You need to configure Language Providers before you can create Language Groups.
Learn more about Language Groups in the product documentation.
7. Create a glossary of terms for consistency, coherence and quality control
Terminology consistency is one of the biggest drivers of language quality across both your source language and languages that you translate into.
As part of our March 2026 release, we added a new space in Localization Workspace called Language Asset Management which allows you to enhance your company’s localization efforts. We are actively enhancing this feature so watch this space in future releases.
To create a glossary go to All > Localization Workspace > Language Asset Management > Glossaries:
Learn more about Language Asset Management and Glossaries in the product documentation.
When you have completed the above steps, you’re ready to submit your first translation request in Localization Workspace.
Happy Translating!
✏️ Get in touch!
How's your setup going? Ask any questions or share tips in the comments!