The Unbabel app integrates with Zendesk with the aim of providing a seamless experience when handling tickets. Once the installation of the app is complete, authorized users unlock the translation potential through a very simple interface. Learn the basics of using Unbabel below.

Inbound translations and ticket initialization

The experience will differ slightly depending on whether you are translating a chat/messaging or an email message. However, the concept of initialization is common to both.

Every time you open a ticket, the Unbabel app will check for information, such as whether the ticket was already translation, your agent information, and comments present in the ticket.

Depending on your translation model, and as long as you meet the authorization and language settings conditions to translate a ticket, Unbabel will detect that a public comment is written in a foreign language and that it requires translation. The widget will launch, calling the Unbabel systems, and once the first translation is ready we will post it as an internal note, containing both the subject and body of the comment translated.

The first translation is a machine-only translation, as it typically constitutes an inbound message coming from the customer. Along with the translation, we will add the Unbabel tags to the Tags field (the unbabeled tag and the language tag, as seen in the image).

This step is called the ticket's initialization and it's fundamental to the rest of the workflow. Tickets that are not initialized will not see any other translations come through. Please note though, that merely adding the unbabeled tag will not initialize a ticket: it's the posting of the first automatic translation that guarantees the process has been completed.

If your initial message was translated into the wrong language, you can change the ticket's language. Unbabel will then post a new internal note with the new translation. Please note that the target language for any outbound reply will be the currently selected language for the ticket. 

Translating chat messages

In order to use Unbabel to translate a chat conversation, the agent must:

1 - Set the status to online. While online and provided that at least one chat request is enqueued, the agent will see the accept button with the counter highlighted, and must click on it in order to start the conversation.

2 - Once the customer's message is received, we will run language identification and provided that the language is subscribed and not spoken by the agent, an automatic translation will be posted under a new internal note.

3 - In order to reply, make sure the language is correctly selected, type the reply on the text box and click the Unbabel button. An internal note containing #unbabel will automatically be posted and the request translated, so there is no need for extra manual actions - note that creating the note and posting it manually will also work. 

4 - Once the translation is complete the message will be sent to the customer.

Multiple messages on a row by any of the interlocutors can be translated sequentially, so it is perfectly fine for you to send several messages in succession. Customer messages will be translated one at a time, if we're translating live, or through thread translation, if you run into several messages once you open the ticket or if you change the language subsequently.

Human upgrading of inbound chat messages in AWS is not possible.

In order for a message to be delivered, the agent must be connected and have the chat open in a tab/window at all times. If these conditions are not met, the message will be translated but not delivered or visible to the customer.

Translating email messages

The flow with email is practically equivalent to chat, with minor differences in the experience.

1 - Open a ticket in which the requester has an associated email.

2 - If you use both chat and email, make sure the email channel is selected from the dropdown in the comment type. Otherwise, you can either use "Internal note" or "Public reply".

3 - Click the Unbabel button in the editor bar.

4 - An internal note containing #unbabel will automatically be posted and the request translated, so there is no need for extra manual actions - note that creating the note and posting it manually will also work. 

5 - Once the translation is complete, a public reply is posted and the message will be sent to the customer.

6 - For email translations, you can close the ticket. Unbabel will be able to send the translated reply once the translation is complete.

7 -If you need to go back to chat/messaging translation, simply change the channel in the ticket editor dropdown.

The channel changing behaviour differs depending whether you are changing from chat to email, or the other way around. Check this article for more information.

For emails, you can request an human upgrade of the latest translated inbound at any time, provided there's no outbound translation pending.

The flow will come full circle once the customer replies and a new inbound automatic translation is then posted.

Unbabel won't automatically translate inbound messages that are posted as internal notes (such as messages coming from recipients who are not cc'ed in ticket). Where inbound translations are concerned, we stick to public replies.