# Translation

> Support customers in any language. Bookbag auto-translates incoming customer messages into your team's language right in the ticket, and lets agents send replies in the customer's language with AI compose.

Your customers don't all speak the same language — your team shouldn't have to either. **Translation** works in both directions: it **reads** for you, auto-translating incoming customer messages into your team's language inside the ticket, and it helps you **write**, turning your reply into the customer's language before you send.

> **WHERE TO CONFIGURE:** Open the agent's **Help desk → Translation** settings. Turn on translation and pick your team's **preferred language** — the language Bookbag translates incoming messages into and composes in.

## Turn it on

1. **Enable translation** — Flip the toggle in the Translation settings.
2. **Pick your preferred language** — Choose the language your team works in. Bookbag offers a wide list of languages.
3. **Open any ticket** — Customer messages are now translated automatically, and the AI compose **Translate** action is ready for your replies.

## Reading: incoming messages, translated for you

With translation on, opening a ticket shows the **customer's messages translated into your preferred language** — so a German customer's message reads in English (or whatever your team uses) without leaving the inbox. A small banner at the top of the thread tells you translation is active and which language it's translating into.

- **Only customer messages are translated.** Your replies, internal notes, and system events are always shown as written.
- **Show original** — every translated message has a toggle to flip back to the customer's original text, and back again.
- **Cached per message** — each translation is computed once and reused, so re-opening a ticket is instant.

> **WORKS ACROSS CHANNELS:** Translation applies to customer messages on a ticket regardless of where they came from — chat widget, email, or another channel — because everything lands in the same timeline.

## Writing: reply in the customer's language

Translation is also part of the **AI compose** toolset in the reply composer. Write your reply in your own language, then choose an action — Bookbag rewrites it and returns the new text for you to review before sending:

| Action | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| Translate | Convert the reply to another language. |
| Friendly | Warm up the tone. |
| Formal | Make it more professional. |
| Rephrase | Reword while keeping the meaning. |
| Expand | Add more helpful detail. |
| Grammar | Fix grammar and spelling. |
| Format | Clean up structure and formatting. |

> **ALWAYS REVIEW BEFORE SENDING:** AI compose returns suggested text — you stay in control. Read the rewrite, edit if needed, then send.

> **GRACEFUL FALLBACK:** Translation uses your agent's model. If no model/provider key is configured or a request can't complete, Bookbag simply shows the original text (incoming) or returns your draft unchanged (outgoing) — you never lose a message.

## FAQ

**Does it translate incoming customer messages automatically?**

Yes. When translation is on, customer messages in a ticket are translated into your preferred language automatically, with a Show original toggle on each one. Agent replies and internal notes are never translated.

**Does it auto-detect the customer's language?**

It translates into your chosen preferred language; if a message is already in that language it's left as-is. AI summaries of escalated conversations are also written in the customer's language.

**Which languages are supported?**

Bookbag offers a broad language list for the preferred language and for translating replies.

**Is AI compose only for translation?**

No. Translate is one of several compose actions — friendly, formal, rephrase, expand, grammar, and format are all available in the composer.

**What powers translation, and what if the model is unavailable?**

Translation runs on your agent's configured model. If it's unavailable, incoming messages show their original text and outgoing drafts are returned unchanged — nothing is lost.

## What's next

- [Help Desk overview](/docs/help-desk/overview) — The composer and ticket timeline.
- [Email settings](/docs/help-desk/email-settings) — Translate outgoing email replies too.
- [Takeover](/docs/help-desk/takeover) — Use AI compose when you take over a chat.