Configuring Dynamic Translation for Agent Chat

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configuring Dynamic Translation for Agent Chat

    Dynamic Translation for Agent Chat (DTAC) enables real-time translation of chat conversations between agents and requesters across multiple languages. This feature automatically detects and translates messages based on user profile preferences or guest user language detection via integrated translation service providers. DTAC enhances global support capabilities by facilitating seamless communication regardless of language barriers.

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    Prerequisites and Activation

    • Integrate with a translation service provider: Ensure your instance is connected to a compatible translation service.
    • Migrate to translator configuration version v3: Update to the latest translator setup for compatibility.
    • Translate knowledge articles: Prepare relevant knowledge content in target languages.
    • Activate Agent Chat and a preferred language: Set language preferences for agents and users.
    • Enable the Dynamic Translation for Agent Chat plugin: Activating this plugin also enables related dynamic translation plugins and configures necessary system properties.

    How DTAC Works

    Once activated, DTAC translates the entire chat conversation including:

    • User messages
    • System messages
    • Virtual Agent chat history (agents see prior conversations in their language)
    • Record card field values
    • Rich controls such as string inputs, choice lists, boolean inputs, date/time, file pickers, carousels, and various bot responses

    Note: DTAC does not translate record card labels; this requires configuring system localization settings separately.

    Integration with Virtual Agent

    When transferring a chat from a Virtual Agent to a live agent, the agent receives the chat history translated into their preferred language for context continuity. Virtual Agent topics should be pre-configured in the desired languages to support this functionality.

    Monitoring and Reporting

    ServiceNow customers can track DTAC usage by generating reports that count how many chats have been translated. This is done by monitoring the 'Translated' column in the Interaction table within Agent Workspace, where a value of true indicates active translation.

    Activate Dynamic Translation for Agent Chat (DTAC) so chat conversations can be translated from one language to another.

    Video link to Dynamic Translation. Dynamic Translation for Agent Chat Watch this video for more information on global support with Dynamic Translation for Agent Chat.

    Prerequisite steps

    These tasks must be completed prior to activating DTAC:

    Activating DTAC

    DTAC translates chat conversations from one language to another. The preferred languages for the agent and requester are based on their user profiles and a translation service translates the messages into the defined language of the other participant. Translation service providers support language detection for requesters who are not logged in to ServiceNow®, also referred to as guest users.

    DTAC is inactive by default. Before activating DTAC, the following requirements must be completed:

    Activate the Dynamic Translation for Agent Chat plugin (com.glide.cs.dynamic.translation.agent.chat).

    This also activates these plugins:
    • Dynamic Translation (com.glide.dynamic_translation)
    • Conversational Dynamic Translation (com.glide.dynamic_translation.va_async)
    and these system properties:
    • true - sync
    • false - async
    • absence of this property - async

    Transferring from Virtual Agent to a live agent

    Once an agent accepts a chat, they can see the chat history between the Virtual Agent and requester in their preferred language for more context.

    Virtual Agent topics must be set up in the desired languages prior to using DTAC. To learn more about how to set up topics, see Virtual Agent Designer.

    Transferring from virtual agent to live agent

    Translation support in chat conversations

    When DTAC is enabled, these items are translated in chat conversations:

    • Users' messages
    • System messages
    • Virtual Agent chat history
    • Record card field values
    • Rich controls
      Type Rich Control
      User input String
      User input Static choice list
      User input Reference choice
      User input Boolean
      User input Date time
      User input File picker
      User input Carousel
      Bot response Text
      Bot response Single link
      Bot response Multiple links
      Bot response Multi-flow output
      Bot response Script output
      Bot response Record card

    DTAC does not support record card labels. For this functionality to operate, system localization properties must be configured. Navigate to System Properties > System Localization. For more information, see ServiceNow® product documentation on Localization settings.

    Messages and record card translation support

    Analytical reports for DTAC

    You can generate a report that counts the number of DTAC chats, to assess how many conversations use the DTAC option.

    Monitor the number of true values in the Translated column in the Interaction table. For more information, see the ServiceNow® product documentation on Interaction records in Workspace Interaction records in Agent Workspace.