Language detection

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Language detection

    The language detection feature in ServiceNow uses a pre-trained model to automatically identify the language used when creating customer service cases. This automation eliminates the need for agents to manually select the case language and supports efficient case routing by associating detected languages with skills and case fields.

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    Key Features

    • Automatic Language Identification: The system detects the language from case fields such as Short Description or Description during case creation using the Task Intelligence Case Language Detected flow.
    • Configurable Language Assignment: Detected language can be added to the Language field on the case record and/or stored as a language skill in the Task Skills table.
    • Routing Integration: Language skills stored enable routing cases to appropriate assignment groups or agents with matching language capabilities via Advanced Work Assignment (AWA) or assignment workbench based on the Language field.
    • Supported Languages: The feature supports detection of 20 different languages, validated against the Languages [syslanguage] table.
    • Confidence Threshold and Validation: Detection occurs only if the confidence in the predicted language exceeds a defined threshold, ensuring accuracy before updating case records.
    • Prediction Results Tracking: Detected language and prediction feedback are stored in the Predictor Results tables ([mlpredictorresultstask] and [mlpredictorresults]) accessible to users with the mladmin role for monitoring and analysis.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Streamlines case creation by automatically detecting and recording case language, saving agent time.
    • Supports precise and automated routing of cases to agents or groups with the relevant language skills, improving customer service efficiency.
    • Enables tracking and reviewing of language detection accuracy and prediction outcomes for continual improvement.
    • Integrates seamlessly with existing ServiceNow Task Intelligence and Advanced Work Assignment capabilities.

    Additional Considerations

    Routing based on detected language requires separate configuration beyond language detection setup. The feature relies on the Task Intelligence for Customer Service application and the Dynamic Translation spoke.

    The language detection feature uses a pre-trained model to detect the language used to create customer service cases. You can configure the model to add the language to the Language field on the case record and/or add the language as a skill for the case.

    Case list view with short description field text in different languages and the detected language listed in the Name column.

    Agents can save time by not having to manually select the language for each case or rely on a manual process for case routing. You can use the language skill stored in the Task Skills table to route cases to the assignment groups and agents with the necessary language skills.

    Note:
    Routing based on detected language must be configured separately.

    The language detection feature supports 20 different languages. For details, see Languages supported by Task Intelligence.

    Language detection flow

    Detecting the language used to create a case is based on a flow, Task Intelligence Case Language Detected, which is available with the Task Intelligence for Customer Service application. This flow is triggered at case creation with the condition that at least one of these case fields is not empty:
    • Short description
    • Description

    When a case is created, the system calls the Detect Language action in the Dynamic Translation spoke which evaluates the text and returns the detected language.

    If the returned language confidence is above the defined confidence threshold, the system performs a check to see if the language exists in the Languages [sys_language] table. It performs this check by matching the language code to the value in the ID field.

    If the language exists in the Languages table, the system does the following, depending on the language detection model configuration:
    • Adds the language to the Language field in the Case table.
    • Stores the prediction results in the Predictor Results for Task table [ml_predictor_results_task].
    • Stores the language skill in the Task Skills table [task_m2m_skill].
    For more information, see Create a model to detect case language.

    Prediction results

    The system stores feedback on prediction results in the Predictor Result [ml_predictor_results] table. Users with the ml_admin role can access the table and view the results.

    For language detection, the Predictor Result table stores the prediction results from the Language Detection Service spoke. The Detected Language field stores the language returned by the Language Detection Services spoke.

    The Predictor Result table also stores information about skipped and failed predictions. For more information about this table, see Components installed with Task Intelligence for Customer Service.