Languages — multi-language widget, allowed locales, postcode ask

The Languages page is where you decide which languages Wilow speaks on your widget, what language the widget chrome uses, and how the bot addresses visitors. Default behaviour is sensible: the widget UI follows the visitor's browser, and the bot replies in whatever language the visitor writes.

This page also hosts the ask visitor for postcode toggle, which pairs with contacts for region routing.

What's on the page

Reply in the visitor's language — when on, the bot detects the language of each message and replies in the same language. Explicit instructions in Personality (e.g. "always reply in German") win.
Widget UI language — the language of the widget's buttons, labels, and placeholders; not the bot's replies. Leave on Auto (visitor's browser) to match each visitor's browser; force a specific language if your audience is single-language.
Form of address — how the bot addresses visitors: always formal (Sie / vous / usted), always informal (du / tu), or mirroring the visitor. See below.
Allowed answer locales — checkboxes for every language the bot may answer in. Currently supported: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese.
Auto-translate greetings — translate your configured greetings into every allowed locale automatically. Saves you from hand-translating boilerplate.
Ask visitor for postcode — when on, the widget asks for a postcode early in the conversation. Pairs with contacts for region-aware routing.
Lexicon fallback — if the visitor uses a term that's domain-specific (a product name, an internal acronym), the bot falls back to the original term rather than translating it. Avoids weird mistranslations of branded vocabulary.
Application disclaimer — append a fixed disclaimer under answers to application questions ("can I use / mount / install this for…"). See below.

On the right, a live preview shows the widget in whichever locale you have selected.

How to translate the bot

There are three layers, and they're different:

The widget UI — the greeting prompts, the "Send" button, the loading state. Auto-localised by the widget code in every supported locale; it follows the visitor's browser unless you force a Widget UI language. You don't manage these strings.
Your configured copy — your greetings, your maintenance message. Turn on Auto-translate greetings and we translate per allowed locale automatically; or override per-language manually on proactive triggers and maintenance.
Bot answers — with Reply in the visitor's language on, the bot detects the language of each message and answers in it, within your allowed locales.

If your audience is mostly one language (German for DE customers, English for global), forcing that as the Widget UI language keeps the chrome consistent for everyone. Otherwise leave it on Auto (visitor's browser) — each visitor gets buttons and placeholders in their own language.

Either way, this setting never touches the bot's replies — those follow Reply in the visitor's language.

Form of address

Relevant for languages that distinguish a polite and a familiar register (Sie/du, vous/tu, usted/tú). Three options:

Formal (Sie) — always the polite form.
Informal (du) — always the familiar form.
Follow the visitor — mirrors whichever form each visitor uses, per message.

Pick whichever matches your brand voice; Follow the visitor is the safe choice when your audience mixes both.

Application disclaimer

When a visitor asks whether or how a product can be used, mounted, or installed for their situation, the bot appends your disclaimer text below its answer. Plain spec, price, or availability questions are unaffected.

Turn on Append a disclaimer to application questions and write the disclaimer text. It's shown verbatim after the answer — include the contact details (phone, email) you want advisors reachable at.

Postcode ask — when to turn it on

Turn this on only if you've populated postcode-prefix routing on contacts. Otherwise asking for a postcode inconveniences the visitor with no payoff.

When on: the widget asks for postcode early ("Where are you based?"). The visitor's answer feeds the contact-routing logic. The question is phrased politely and the visitor can decline.

Common questions

Can the bot speak multiple languages? Yes, when the multi-language feature is on for your workspace. Check the boxes for every locale you want to allow.
How does the bot pick a language? With Reply in the visitor's language on, it detects the language of each message and replies in the same one. The widget chrome follows Widget UI language (Auto = the visitor's browser).
Why doesn't my visitor's browser locale work? It's checked but not in your allowed list. Tick the box for that locale.
My German greeting is showing in English. Either Auto-translate greetings is off and you only configured the EN copy, or German isn't checked in allowed locales.
Should I turn on Auto-translate greetings? Yes if you don't want to maintain per-language wording yourself. Manual is better if your tone of voice doesn't translate well via machine — e.g. brand-specific phrasing.
What's lexicon fallback? When the visitor uses a domain term (a product name, an acronym), the bot leaves it untranslated rather than auto-translating to nonsense.
How do I ask the visitor for a postcode? Toggle Ask visitor for postcode. Use only when you've set up region routing on contacts.

See also contacts for postcode-based contact routing, proactive triggers for greetings, and maintenance for paused-state copy.

Where to find us

Stuck? Email wilow@werila.com.