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

The Languages page is where you decide which languages Wilow speaks on your widget, which one it defaults to, and what to do with visitors whose browser is set to something else. Default behaviour is sensible: detect the browser locale, fall back to your default if it's not in the allowed list.

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

What's on the page

Respect visitor browser language — when on, the widget picks the visitor's Accept-Language if it's in your allowed list.
Default locale — the language Wilow uses when browser-detect doesn't find a match. Set to Auto to let Wilow guess from the conversation; otherwise pick a specific locale.
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.

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. 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 — Wilow generates answers in the conversation language. Set the allowed locales; the bot picks whichever one the visitor is using.

Choosing a default

If your audience is mostly one language (German for DE customers, English for global), set that as the default and leave browser-detect on. Visitors browsing in other languages still get translated answers if you've checked their locale; otherwise they get your default.

If your audience is genuinely mixed, Auto lets Wilow match the visitor's first message regardless of browser settings. This is best for high-traffic sites where the browser locale lies more than it tells the truth.

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? Browser-locale detect (if on), then your default, then conversation-language guess.
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 [email protected].