If you’ve got customers outside your home turf, you know language is a real hurdle—especially for live chat and bots. If you’re using Tidio to handle customer conversations, you’re probably wondering: can it really support people in different languages without making you want to throw your laptop out the window? Yes, but it’s not magic. This guide cuts the fluff and shows you exactly how to set up multilingual support in Tidio, what actually works, and what to skip.
Who This Guide Is For
- Store owners and support teams using Tidio who want to talk to customers in more than one language.
- Anyone tired of vague promises about “AI-powered translation” and wants to know what’s real.
- People who want practical steps, not a sales pitch.
1. Know What Tidio Can (and Can’t) Do with Languages
Before you jump in, let’s be clear about what you’re working with. Tidio has some built-in multilingual features, but it’s not Google Translate for your helpdesk. Here’s what you can expect:
What works: - You can create chat widgets, messages, and bots in multiple languages. - There are some translation tools, but they’re basic—think “good enough for basic support,” not “perfect for legal contracts.” - You can set language preferences based on a visitor’s browser settings.
What doesn’t: - There’s no automatic, real-time translation for live chat (unless you pay for third-party integrations). - You’ll need to manually set up content for each language. - Some bot logic can get messy if you’re not careful.
Don’t waste time on:
Assuming Tidio “just handles it.” If you want your live chat to greet French customers in French and Spanish customers in Spanish, you’ve got to do the setup. It’s not hard, but it’s not automatic.
2. Map Out Which Languages You Actually Need
Don’t try to support every language under the sun. Look at your traffic and sales data—where are your customers actually coming from? Start with your top two or three languages.
Pro tip:
If Google Analytics or your ecommerce platform shows 95% of visits from English, Spanish, and German speakers, stick with those. You can always add more later.
3. Customize Your Chat Widget for Each Language
Tidio lets you set up different versions of the chat widget for different languages. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to Channels > Live Chat in your Tidio dashboard.
- Click on the widget and look for “Multilanguage” settings (sometimes under Settings > Appearance).
- Enable the Multilanguage option. You’ll now see options to add languages.
- Add a language: Click “Add Language” and pick from the list (e.g., Spanish, German, French).
- For each language, enter your welcome message, offline message, and any other widget text in that language.
- Set the default language (usually English) and make sure it matches your main audience.
How does Tidio know which language to show? - By default, Tidio tries to match the widget language to the visitor’s browser language. If it can’t, it shows the default.
What to watch out for:
If you use custom greetings or have a lot of canned responses, you’ll need to translate those, too.
4. Create Multilingual Chatbot Flows
If you use Tidio chatbots (for FAQs, lead capture, or simple support), you’ll need to duplicate your flows for each language. Here’s the honest truth: this is a little tedious, but it’s necessary.
Steps:
- Go to the Chatbots section in Tidio.
- Pick the bot you want to duplicate.
- Use the “Duplicate” or “Clone” option (usually found in the bot’s menu).
- Rename the copy with the language (e.g., “Order FAQ – Spanish”).
- Translate every message, button, and quick reply in the flow.
- Set up the bot trigger so it only runs for visitors with that language set (see next step).
How to trigger the right bot for the right language: - Use Tidio’s “Visitor language” condition in your bot’s trigger settings. - For example, set your Spanish bot to trigger only if the visitor’s browser is set to Spanish.
Watch out for: - If you update your main (English) bot, you’ll need to update the others, too. There’s no “translate all bots” button. - Don’t use Google Translate for everything—get a native speaker to check your key messages if you can.
5. Set Up Language-Based Routing for Live Chats
Your bots are one thing, but what about live chats with real humans? If you have agents who speak different languages, you can route chats to the right people.
Here’s how you can hack this together in Tidio:
- In your chatbot flow, ask the visitor to pick their language or detect it from their browser.
- Use quick replies like “English / Español / Deutsch.”
- When a visitor picks a language, tag the conversation (e.g., “Spanish”).
- Set up operator groups in Tidio: one for each language.
- Use routing rules or manual assignment to move chats to the right group.
What’s missing:
Tidio doesn’t do perfect auto-routing for language yet. You’ll need to set this up with tags and some manual rules. It’s not seamless, but it works.
6. Translate Canned Responses and FAQs
There’s nothing worse than answering the same question 50 times in two languages. Tidio’s canned responses save time, but you need to set them up for each language.
Best practices:
- Create a folder for each language in your canned responses.
- Label them clearly (“Refund policy – English,” “Refund policy – Spanish”).
- Make sure your agents know which to use.
What to skip:
Don’t go crazy translating every canned response. Start with the top 5–10 questions you actually get.
7. Handle Email Notifications and Offline Messages
If you use Tidio to collect emails when you’re offline, make sure those messages are also in the customer’s language.
- Set up your offline form and follow-up emails for each language.
- Double-check that contact forms and auto-replies match the widget language.
8. Test Everything (and Fix the Glitches)
This is where most setups fall apart. Always test:
- Visit your website with your browser language set to each language you support.
- Go through the full flow—chat widgets, bots, canned responses, offline forms.
- Ask friends or colleagues who speak the language to try it, too.
Pro tip:
Use browser tools or VPNs to simulate traffic from different countries.
9. What About Auto-Translation? (And Why You Should Be Skeptical)
Tidio does offer some translation integrations (like with Google Translate or Weglot), but let’s be honest—they’re hit-or-miss.
Pros: - Fast setup, can handle lots of languages instantly.
Cons: - Translations are often clunky or weird for anything but basic requests. - You lose control over tone and accuracy. - Mistakes can make your business look careless.
Reality check:
If you care about your brand, use manual translation for your main chat flows. Only use auto-translation for “better than nothing” situations—like after-hours basic coverage.
10. Keep It Simple—Don’t Try to Boil the Ocean
Supporting every language everywhere sounds great in a marketing meeting, but it’s a support headache. Start with your top markets, get the basics right, and expand only when you see real demand.
Checklist for your multilingual Tidio setup:
- [ ] Main chat widget translated for each key language
- [ ] Bot flows duplicated and translated
- [ ] Canned responses in top languages
- [ ] Routing rules set up (even if basic)
- [ ] Offline forms/emails translated
- [ ] Everything tested by real speakers
Wrapping Up
Multilingual support in Tidio isn’t rocket science, but it does take some upfront work. Don’t fall for the idea that you can “set it and forget it.” Start simple, test as you go, and listen to your real customers—not just the software’s marketing claims. It’s the fastest way to keep your global customers happy without drowning your team in complexity.