If your support teams are scattered around the world, language barriers can turn small customer issues into big headaches. Luckily, Freshchat offers multilingual features to help you talk to customers in their own languages—without driving your agents nuts. This guide is for support leads, admins, and anyone who’s ever watched a customer conversation derail because “Google Translate said so.”
Let’s cut through the hype and get your team set up for real-world global support.
Why Multilingual Support in Freshchat Matters (and Where It Gets Tricky)
Freshchat’s multilingual features sound great on paper: you can chat with customers in dozens of languages, translate messages on the fly, and set up bots that “speak” multiple tongues. But the devil’s in the details—bad translations, agent confusion, and clunky setup can make things worse, not better.
Before you dive in, here’s what actually works:
- Built-in translations save time—but don’t expect perfection.
- Automated bots can handle simple questions—but complex issues still need humans.
- Language routing can reduce agent stress—if you set it up right.
- Customizing every tiny message? Usually not worth the hassle.
Let’s walk through what’s worth your time, step by step.
Step 1: Decide Which Languages You Really Need
Don’t just add every language Freshchat supports. Start with:
- Your top customer languages (check your CRM, website analytics, or ticket history)
- Languages your agents can actually handle (machine translation isn’t magic)
- Legal or compliance requirements (some regions require local language support)
Pro tip: Fewer languages done well beat “all the languages” done badly. It’s better to offer a clear path for customers who need extra help than to promise perfect support everywhere.
Step 2: Enable Multilingual Features in Freshchat
Freshchat offers a few key ways to support multiple languages:
- Localized Widgets:
- You can show your chat widget in different languages based on customer location or browser language.
- Go to Admin > Chat Widget > Languages and add the languages you want.
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For each language, you’ll see fields for widget text (greetings, placeholders, etc.). Edit these as needed.
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Agent Interface Language:
- Agents can set their own interface language in their profile.
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This only changes the agent’s dashboard, not what customers see.
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Canned Responses/FAQs:
- You can create saved replies and FAQs in multiple languages.
- Freshchat will pick the right version based on the customer’s selected language.
- Don’t just run your English answers through Google Translate—get a human to review anything customer-facing.
What to skip: Don’t bother translating every obscure widget message right away. Focus on the main greetings and action buttons first. You can tweak the rest as you see what customers actually use.
Step 3: Set Up Language Routing and Teams
If you have agents who actually speak different languages, set up routing rules so customers land with the right person. Here’s how:
- Create Teams by Language:
- Go to Admin > Teams and create separate teams for, say, “Spanish Support” or “German Support.”
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Assign agents based on their language skills.
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Set Up Routing Automation:
- Use Assignment Rules to route chats based on the detected customer language.
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You can route by:
- Customer’s browser language
- Country/IP (not perfect, but works for big regions)
- Customer’s own selection from the widget
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Fallbacks:
- Always plan for what happens if no agent is available in a given language.
- You can show a message in the customer’s language explaining the wait, or offer to switch to English (or your main language).
What doesn’t work: Don’t expect location-based routing to be perfect. People travel, VPNs exist, and browser languages aren’t always accurate. Give customers a way to pick their preferred language.
Step 4: Enable and Tweak Auto-Translation
Freshchat has built-in machine translation for live chat. Here’s how to set it up and what to watch out for:
- Turn on Auto-Translation:
- Under Admin > Languages > Auto-Translation, enable the feature.
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Choose which languages you want to support for incoming and outgoing messages.
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Train Your Agents:
- Let them know translations aren’t perfect—nuance, slang, and technical terms can get lost.
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Encourage agents to write short, clear sentences and avoid idioms.
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Watch for Errors:
- Set up a process for agents to flag bad translations.
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Some teams keep a list of recurring translation fails and adjust their canned responses accordingly.
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Privacy Note:
- Machine translation often sends data to third parties (Google, Microsoft, etc.). Double-check your privacy requirements, especially for sensitive markets.
What to ignore: Don’t bother translating internal notes or tags. Focus on the actual customer-facing chat.
Step 5: Set Up Multilingual Bots and FAQs (If You Really Need Them)
Automated bots and knowledge bases in multiple languages sound great but can be a maintenance nightmare if you overdo it. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Create FAQ Articles in Key Languages:
- Go to Admin > FAQs and add translations for your most popular articles.
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Start with your top 10 questions—don’t feel pressured to translate everything.
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Set Up Bots:
- In Admin > Bots, you can create flows in different languages.
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Keep scripts simple and review machine translations with a native speaker if possible.
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Fallback to Human Support:
- Always give customers an option to reach a real person if the bot isn’t helping.
Hard truth: Multilingual bots are only as good as the effort you put in. If you can’t maintain translations, it’s better to stick with human agents.
Step 6: Test, Test, Test (and Fix What’s Broken)
Go through your chat widget, canned responses, bot flows, and FAQs in every language you support. Enlist native speakers if you can. Here’s what to look for:
- Weird or broken translations
- Layout issues (some languages are much longer/shorter)
- Confusing routing or dead ends
Pro tip: Pretend you’re a customer who speaks only the target language. Is the experience smooth, or do you hit a wall? Fix the big problems first.
Step 7: Train Your Team and Set Expectations
Even the best setup can fall apart if your agents aren’t prepared.
- Show agents how to use translation features—and when not to trust them blindly.
- Encourage team members to flag recurring translation problems.
- Remind everyone: It’s okay to switch to English (or your fallback language) if things get confusing. Clarity beats “fake fluency.”
What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
After helping plenty of teams wrestle with Freshchat’s multilingual setup, here’s the honest rundown:
Good bets: - Start with your top 2-3 non-English languages. - Use auto-translation for simple chats, but review and edit your canned answers. - Let customers pick their preferred language. - Regularly update your FAQs and bots—don’t let them get stale.
Bad bets: - Translating every single tiny message. - Trusting bots or auto-translation with complex, emotional, or sensitive issues. - Assuming one setup will work forever. Languages and customer needs change.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Don’t aim for perfection out of the gate. Nail support in a few key languages, fix obvious issues, and build from there. Freshchat’s tools are helpful, but no software solves the human side of multilingual support.
Keep your setup lean, get feedback from your global teams, and adjust as you grow. That’s how you avoid the usual multilingual mess—and actually help your customers, wherever they are.