Translate Journal Fields "manually"

[Dominique15]

Hi guys,

we are searching for a translation method for journal fields that do not require dynamic translation.

We are trying to do it another way with a custom API to a translation service we already have.

The idea is to use translated_text for the journal entries. That works for "normal" fields perfectly, but not for journal fields.

In my screens you can see that I'm currently in german language and short description is translated to german. ...but comments and work notes are not.

What I did as first try is to create a record in english and then added the translated_text record for the fields short_description, comment, work note.

Does anyone know why the journal fields are not translated or has an idea to solve this issue?

Thank you very much,

Have a good day!

Dom

[Alex Coope - SN]

Hi @Dominique15,

So, Journal fields are not intended to be used like this - and please don't try and change their field types as that would be an unnecessary customization. 

Journal fields are made up of two parts, the entry and the history elements and this is why you aren't able to do what you are trying. They can only store the value that was entered. Where-as a "translated_text" field would require an entry in [sys_translated_text] per entry per task type record per language which is not the intended use-case for "translated_text" fields either.

Instead, we have an ootb feature that leverages Dynamic Translation for the Activity Stream:
https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-platform-administration/page/administer/dynamic-transl...
^ if your field is added to the activity stream, then it will then have the ability to be translated when the user needs it to be,

So to summarize - please don't go down the route of customizing something like this - it is not advisable and could cause some significant problems in the future (even more so, if that specific field is actually defined on the [task] table). Instead, use the ootb feature I mentioned above,

Many thanks,
Kind regards

[kaushal_snow]

@Dominique15 ,

This is actually a known limitation in ServiceNow,  journal fields like Comments and Work Notes don’t support the translated_text table approach since their entries are stored as individual journal records rather than in a single translatable field. .....Unlike static string fields such as Short Description or Description, journal fields dynamically append text and metadata (user, timestamp, visibility), making them incompatible with standard translation mechanisms. If you want to achieve manual translation using your custom API, one option is to intercept the journal entry on insert using a Business Rule (before or after insert on sys_journal_field), send the text to your translation API, and then write the translated result into a custom parallel field like translated_comments or translated_work_notes........ You can then display those translated values conditionally based on the user’s language preference. However, keep in mind that OOB, the platform doesn’t re render journal fields dynamically in different languages, so you’ll need a custom UI Formatter or UI Macro in the form view to show translated journal content......

If you found my response helpful, please mark it as ‘Accept as Solution’ and ‘Helpful’. This helps other community members find the right answer more easily and supports the community.

[Alex Coope - SN]

@kaushal_snow - as per my comment below, this would not be in-line with our best practice,

Many thanks,
Kind regards