Multilingual chatbot for your business website
BotDesk answers each visitor in the language they write in: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic and more. It learns your business from your own website, so your site can stay in English.
✓ Replies in each visitor's language ✓ Chat window in 18 languages ✓ Translations on Growth and up
How it works
What happens when a visitor writes in Spanish
The same steps apply to every language. Here is what your visitor sees, and what you see.
They type in their own language
A visitor opens the chat on your site and asks a question in Spanish. BotDesk goes by the language they type in.
The bot answers in Spanish, from your information
It answers from what your website and your dashboard say about your prices, hours, services and service area. If the answer isn't in your information, it tells them so and points them to you.
The chat window switches too
Buttons, placeholders and form labels switch to Spanish. Your own greeting and suggested questions stay exactly as you wrote them, so write those in the language most of your visitors use.
You read it in yours
On Growth and Pro, any chat in your dashboard can show a translation under each message, in English or another language you pick, and chat emails in another language arrive with an English translation. From Starter up, lead emails say which language the visitor wrote in and sum up the request in English.
Example
What a Spanish chat looks like
An example for a plumbing company whose website lists an $89 service call fee. The English lines are the translation the owner sees on Growth and Pro.
Visitor
Hola, ¿reparan calentadores de agua? ¿Cuánto cobran por la visita?
Translation Hi, do you repair water heaters? How much do you charge for the visit?
Bot
¡Hola! Sí, reparamos y reemplazamos calentadores de agua. La visita de servicio cuesta $89. ¿Me deja su nombre y teléfono para que le llamemos y agendemos la visita?
Translation Hi! Yes, we repair and replace water heaters. The service call costs $89. Can you leave your name and phone number so we can call you and schedule the visit?
Visitor
Sí. Me llamo Ana Torres y mi número es 555-0142.
Translation Yes. My name is Ana Torres and my number is 555-0142.
Bot
Gracias, Ana. Ya pasé sus datos a nuestro equipo y le llamaremos para agendar la visita.
Translation Thanks, Ana. I've passed your details to our team, and we'll call you to schedule the visit.
Taking a visitor's name and number is lead capture, which starts on Starter ($29/month). On Free, the bot answers the questions but doesn't collect details. The lead email for this chat would say Ana wrote in Spanish and sum up her request in English.
Languages
Languages we've tested
We tested BotDesk live in these 17 languages, plus English. Other languages may work as well, but we haven't tested them, so try yours in the free demo before you count on it.
- Spanish
- Chinese
- Vietnamese
- Korean
- Tagalog
- Arabic
- Russian
- Japanese
- French
- Portuguese
- Hindi
- Haitian Creole
- Polish
- Ukrainian
- German
- Italian
- Dutch
The chat window's own buttons and labels come in 18 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Polish, Hindi, Haitian Creole and Ukrainian.
Language settings
Choose which languages your bot uses
These settings are on every plan, including Free. In your dashboard, open Knowledge, then Bot instructions & alerts, and find the Languages box.
Each visitor's language
The default. The bot replies in whatever language each visitor writes in, and switches if they switch.
Only the languages you pick
Choose the languages you can follow up in. A visitor who writes in another one gets an answer in your main language, with a short note saying which languages the bot can chat in.
One main language
Turn off "Reply in each visitor's language" and the bot always answers in your main language, whatever the visitor writes. Your main language doesn't have to be English.
Good to know
What it does and doesn't do
A few details that matter when your customers speak more than one language.
What it does
- Answers in the visitor's language even when your website is only in English.
- Gives a language's own phone line first. If your site lists a number for Spanish speakers, visitors writing in Spanish get that number first.
- Lets you read every chat in your language on Growth and Pro, with the original message kept above each translation.
What it doesn't do
- Answer or translate phone calls. BotDesk is a chat on your website.
- Say your staff speak a language. It only says that if your own information does.
- Translate your greeting or suggested questions. Those stay in the words you wrote.
Plans
Languages on each plan
Every plan replies in your visitors' languages. The paid plans add lead capture and the tools for reading chats in yours.
Scroll sideways to see every plan.
| Feature | Free$0, no card | Starter$29/mo | Growth$59/mo | Pro$99/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replies in the visitor's language | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Chat window in 18 languages | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Language settings | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Lead capture, with the visitor's language in the lead email | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Chat history with a translation under each message | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Chat emails with an English translation | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Booking through your Calendly, Acuity or Square page | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
Paid plans come with a 7-day free trial. You enter a card at checkout and nothing is charged until day 8. Every plan is on the pricing page.
FAQ
Questions about the multilingual chatbot
Yes. When a visitor writes in Spanish, the bot answers in Spanish from your own website's information, and the chat window's buttons switch to Spanish. This works on every plan, including Free, and your website can stay in English.
We tested it live in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, French, Portuguese, Hindi, Haitian Creole, Polish, Ukrainian, German, Italian and Dutch, plus English. Other languages may work too, but we haven't tested them, so try yours in the free demo first.
No. The bot learns from your site as it is and answers each visitor in their language. If your site lists a phone number for a language, such as a Spanish line, the bot gives that number first to visitors writing in that language.
Yes, on every plan. You can keep the default and reply in each visitor's language, pick only the languages you can follow up in, or have the bot always reply in one main language.
On Growth ($59/month) and Pro ($99/month), open any chat in your dashboard and show a translation under each message. Chat emails in another language also arrive with an English translation. On Starter, lead emails tell you which language the visitor wrote in and sum up the request in English.
No. Replying in a language isn't a claim about your business. The bot only says your team speaks a language if your own information says so.
No. BotDesk is a chat on your website. It doesn't answer or translate phone calls.
Yes. Enter your website in the live demo, then ask a question in Spanish or any language you want to check. BotDesk builds a test bot from your real site, usually in under a minute, with no signup.
Keep reading
Get started
Answer every visitor in their own language
Start on Free and try it in your visitors' languages. Upgrade when you want lead capture or translations.
✓ $0 a month ✓ No card ✓ 50 conversations a month Paid plans from $29/mo