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Multi Language

Last Updated October 16, 2025
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Applies to:
WalkMe for Customers WalkMe for Employees SAP Premium Desktop WalkMe DAP Canada FedRAMP

Brief Overview

The Multi-Language feature lets you translate WalkMe content into multiple languages without rebuilding items. It helps you engage users in their preferred language and support a global audience.

You can translate text directly in the Console, integrate with translation services, or export your content for external translation.

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Use Cases

  • Translate Smart Walk-Thrus, Shuttles, ShoutOuts, and other WalkMe content
  • Provide localized onboarding and training so every user can start in their own language
  • Ensure compliance by delivering security and policy messages in the user's native language
  • Support global product launches with WalkMe content translated for multiple regions

Access

Manage translations from the Multi Language page in the WalkMe Console. Select the link for your data center:

How It Works

After you build WalkMe content such as Smart Walk-Thrus, ShoutOuts, surveys, or launchers, you can use the Multi-Language feature to create translations.

Source language

The first language used in the editor becomes the source language for all WalkMe items, the WalkMe Menu, and your general settings.

  • The source language always appears first on the My Languages page
  • Click the source language row to edit it if you need to reflect a different primary language
  • Changing the source language here does not change the content in the editor

Note

If you created content in a language other than English (US) — for example, French — and you also have English (US) as one of your other languages, it's recommended to update the source language to match the language you used in the editor.

Managing translations

You can manage translations from the Multi Language page in the WalkMe Console. From here you can:

  • Translate directly in the Console by entering text in your target language
  • Integrate with translation vendors to automate translation workflows
  • Export and import files for external translation
    • XLIFF files (for localization platforms)
    • XLSX files (for manual or human translation)
  • Translate specific items by exporting and importing only the text you need

WalkMe content can be translated into any language

Language selection options

After translations are published, users can view WalkMe in their preferred language. There are three options:

  • Toggle (default): Users select a language from a drop-down menu in the WalkMe Menu. WalkMe remembers their choice using a cookie.
  • Auto-Toggle (recommended): The WalkMe Menu automatically displays in the user's language, based on a language variable on your website. This is the most widely used method and is recommended for most web applications.
  • Language Push (API): If your site doesn't refresh when a language changes (for example, Single-Page Applications), use the API call WalkMeAPI.changeLanguage('short-name') to set the language dynamically.

How to Enable Auto-Toggle for Multi-Language

Developer Hub

For more information on WalkMe APIs. see the WalkMe Developer Hub.

Adding a Language

  1. Go to the "Language List" page on console.walkme.com
    • Important Note: Use the upper right dropdown to make sure you are working on the correct System
  2. Click the + New language button to add a Language
  3. Configure the new language details
    • The Display Name is what appears to the end-user in the Player Menu
    • The Short Name is used in the Auto-Toggle and Language Push (API) methods
      Note

      The short name may only contain alphanumeric characters (for example, letters or numbers) and hyphens.

    • Show in Player gives the option to either show or hide a translation from the end-user in the Player Menu
    • Copy From allows you to copy a translation from another language
    • Add button - Click to add the language
  4. Click Add Language
Disclaimer

Automated translations are provided for convenience. WalkMe cannot guarantee the accuracy of translated content. 

Enable machine translation (for supported languages only)

  • Allows you to translate content via the AWS auto translate service. Currently supported from English (ISO) as default language to selected languages provided by AWS
  • We are offering this feature for all languages supported by AWS

Automated Machine Translation

Automated Machine Translation is currently in closed beta

Check out our beta program page for more information.

Machine Translation - All content (for supported languages only) -All content will be automatically translated via AWS auto translate service. Currently supported from English (ISO) as default language to selected languages provided by AWS.

  1. To enable automated machine translation, turn on the Machine Translation toggle

  2. Click All content and then Add Language

Edit / Delete a Language

To edit or delete a language, click on it from the main "My Languages" page.

  • You can then edit any information you wish to and click "Save"
  • Or, you can delete the language using the "Delete" button
Note

If you delete a language, all the translations for this language will be permanently removed. You won't be able to restore them, only to import the translations again

Outdated Language Translation

Outdated feature allows you to filter which translations are outdated and need updating. Helps you easily identify outdated translations by comparing them to your default language (the one used in the Editor).

To filter outdated translations go to Translations → Filter by → Outdated only 

The custom languages that have outdated content displays with a yellow box to highlight the content that needs updating.

BBcode and Rich Text 

BBCode

  • Copy all, Paste, Paste without formatting, and Edit options are available

    • Paste will paste all the copied content including the code tags

    • Paste without formatting will paste only the text without the code

    • Edit allows you to edit BBcode tags (in case the BBcode is typed incorrectly, a red indication will appear)

Note

Editing translations can cause errors if they include dynamic text with jQuery selectors that don't have closing tags. For example, in [ejsn='adminList_X_act_xxxxxx'], the system expects a closing tag like [/ejsn]. However, adding it would disrupt the functionality of the dynamic text.

If you experience this issue, edit translations directly in the text box without using the pencil icon.

  • Machine translation of a specific field is available (if machine translation is enabled) under an Auto-translate icon

Note

Regular copy & paste (right click or CTL C / V) will copy the content only (without the code tags)

Rich Text (for Visual Designer content)

  • Only regular Paste option is available

  • When translating rich text textbox, a <p> will be automatically added (a paragraph so it will be shown on the ShoutOut)

There are some differences between two types of text elements.

Regular text that contains BBCode:
  • User can remove the design tags and write translation in and outside the tags
  • Tags are colored grey
Rich text:
  • User can't remove the design tags and must write the translation between the tags (just to replace the default content)
  • Tags are colored green

Translation Methods

Translation Services

WalkMe's translation integration allows you to manage your translations directly inside the product. WalkMe has partnered with several service providers, including Lilt to make the translation process seamless.

These services can be managed from the WalkMe Console at console.walkme.com in the "Translation Services" and "Integrations" pages.

Learn more about the Lilt translation integration.

Add a Manual Translation

Best Practice

  • This method is best used when you are translating one or two languages internally
  • With any more, we advise using the export to Excel or export to XLIFF methods, depending on your preferred translation method

  1. Go to the "Translations" page in the WalkMe Console
  2. Select the WalkMe item you wish to translate from the left side panel
  3. Enter translated text in right columns
    • Each language displays as a different column to the right of the default language - You can use the dropdown to view only selected languages
    • As you type your work is saved and you can click to view a preview of how the WalkMe item will appear to end users

Publish content

  • After adding your translations to the items, you need to open the WalkMe Editor and republish them
  • You can then use the Multi-language preview to test them

Previewing WalkMe Content

Translating Text of the Items (Launchers, SmartTips, etc.)

WalkMe General folder in the Translations page contains all the default texts of the items templates - for example, "WalkMe Through" for a Launcher. Those texts cannot be changed from the items settings in the Editor and can only be translated via the WalkMe General folder.

To change and/or translate the default text of your item and the general WalkMe text (for example, text used in buttons by default), open the WalkMe General folder and select the item.

Note

If you change the default text of one item, for example, one Launcher, it will automatically change for all the items that contain the same text.

In WalkMe General, you can also set your language direction:

  • LTR = Left-to-right
  • RTL = Right-to-left
Note

It is important to set the correct direction for each of the languages you use to ensure that the items will play as expected.

Export Files to be Translated

The export your file(s):

  1. Go to the Translations page
  2. Select the item(s) you'd like to export from your items list
  3. Click Export

  4. Select:

    • Target language (optional)

    • Environment - Test or Production

    • Status - Published, Published and Modified, Draft, Archived

    • File type - XLIFF, Strict XLIFF, EXCEL, RESJSON

  5. Click Export

Import Translated Files

The import your file(s):

  1. Go to the Translations page
  2. Click the Import button in the upper right corner of the page

  3. Either drag&drop your files, or click Upload to select files on your computer

Did you know?

We automatically identify the language of the imported file based on custom identifier code in the file name, for example: 1729683854841_fr-CA_2905764.xliff -> fr-CA (french canadian), so make sure your file name has it.

Note

After importing your translations, publish them to the appropriate environment for the new translations to be available to users.

Translation Activities

Similar to what is available with the WalkMe Activity Log, you can now view Activities that have taken place related to Text & Multi-Language.

  1. Go to the WalkMe Console at console.walkme.com
  2. Click "Activities" from the side menu
  3. Select the Activity you wish to take a closer look at

To understand more about to read the Translation details, please refer to the following guide:

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Best Practices

General Best Practices

  • Make sure that that you / your translating company does not translate BBcode (anything between the brackets [...]).
  • For Excel files, keep the exported file in the exact same format vis a vis name, tabs, columns, etc. Work only on the language column.
  • We recommend only exporting files once the solution is final and that no changes be made prior to importing the files back in.
  • Avoid using text images in WalkMe items and the Zembezi Widget, since these cannot be translated by Multi-Language.
  • During text translation, we recommend against making additional changes in the Editor. If additional items are created, a new .XLIFF or .XLSX file should be exported to include all updates. When an .XLIFF or Excel .XLSX file is imported, an import log file is generated and may be downloaded to obtain details about the translation status.

Multi-Language For Walk-Thrus

  • Your Walk-Thru should be built to ignore text, and within the Rule engine avoid using “Text is” since this will change depending on the language selected. Ask your Account Manager to enable a feature that will make all steps “ignore text' by default;
  • Check the balloon size and position in different languages. The positioning may need to be adjusted because the length of the text will vary from language to language;
  • If one of your translations include a Right to Left language change, be sure to test this translation thoroughly.

Multi-Language For Launchers

  • Text within a Launcher image is not translated. If a Launcher is meant to work in two languages, it is recommended to use a Launcher with no text;
  • Use the Customize Launcher Tab to create your Launcher. No Launchers with images, or Launcher from the Gallery.

Technical Notes

  • Only XLIFF 1.2 is supported - please refer to the Text & Multi-Language XLIFF XML Files article to learn more about XLIFF files
  • BBCode and Rich Text that are exported with content must be kept untouched during translations
  • Shared elements like the next/done/submit button, etc. are located in the General Settings folder
  • A maximum of 4,000 characters can be used in a translated field (for example: Title or description of SWT)
  • Applying CSS to WalkMe content with text may override any translations in the Text & Multi-language settings
  • Links can only be translated manually via the import-export functionality

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Applies to:
WalkMe for Customers WalkMe for Employees SAP Premium Desktop WalkMe DAP Canada FedRAMP

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