A customer opens the chat on your website and writes in French. Nobody on shift today speaks it well. Without help, you either guess, answer slowly, or lose the conversation.
ATON Desk is built so that does not have to happen. This post explains how two-way translation works, where it helps most, where it needs care, and how to write answers that translate well.
ATON Desk is coming soon and is not open to customers yet. Everything below describes how it works when it opens.
How two-way translation works
Live translation works both ways. Your customer writes in their language, and your operator reads it in their own. Your operator replies in their own language, and your customer reads the answer in theirs.
- Messages are translated as they arrive and as they are sent. Nobody copies text into another tool.
- The original is always one hover away. Hover over any message to see exactly what was written.
- Drafts are suggestions. ATON Assist can suggest a reply from your content and the conversation so far, and nothing is sent until your operator sends it.
Where it helps most
Translation earns its keep on the everyday questions: opening hours, how to book, where an order is, how returns work. These are short, clear and easy to check.
It also helps your team keep one inbox instead of one per language. The same people answer everyone, with the same saved answers and the same summary when a conversation is handed over.
Where it needs care
Some conversations deserve a fluent person: a complaint, anything legal or medical, or a customer who is clearly upset. If you have someone on the team who speaks the language, bring them in. Translation is there for the many conversations where you do not.
Six tips for answers that translate well
- Write short sentences. One idea per sentence translates more reliably than a long one with three clauses.
- Skip idioms and slang. A phrase that is friendly in one language can read oddly in another.
- Spell out numbers, dates and prices clearly. Then check them in the original before you send.
- Keep names as they are. Product names, street names and people's names should not change in translation.
- Keep your saved answers plain. The AI agent and your team reuse them, so plain answers pay off in every language.
- Ask one question at a time. It is easier for your customer to answer, in any language.
What comes with which plan
ATON Assist, with live translation, is included in Business and Enterprise. On Starter and Team it is an add-on. The pricing page shows the details, in Canadian dollars.
Be first to try it
The translation and ATON Assist page shows how it works in more detail. If you want to know when ATON Desk opens, join the waitlist. We will confirm your address first, and send you an invite code when your place comes up.