How can we help you?

ContactMonkey Grow and Enterprise accounts can automatically translate multi-language emails using DeepL, a professional-grade translation engine. This feature translates most content blocks instantly, saving time on manual translation work.

Manual review recommended: Always have a native speaker review auto-translations to ensure accuracy.

What Gets Translated Automatically

When you use auto-translation, these content blocks translate:

• Button labels - Text on buttons
• Paragraphs - Body text
• Titles - Headings and subheadings
• Lists - Bulleted and numbered lists
• Image alt text - Accessibility descriptions for images
• Video alt text - Accessibility descriptions for videos
• Icons - Icon labels
• Menu items - Navigation menu text
• Meta tags - SEO and email metadata

What Does NOT Translate

These elements stay in your primary language:

• Subject lines - Cannot be changed for any language
• Preheader text - Cannot be changed for any language
• Text content blocks (legacy) - Replace with Paragraph or Title content blocks instead
• Custom HTML content blocks - Requires manual translation
• Table content - Requires manual translation
• Menu content blocks - Anchor link text doesn't translate
• Images - Images with embedded text remain unchanged
• Links - URLs stay the same (link text translates)

How to Use Auto-Translation

If your draft has already been auto-translated — including a duplicated email or template, or an email where you added new content to the primary language after translating — don't just click Translate or Translate All again. It won't replace the existing translated content.

From the primary language, click the world icon (🌐) → Reset All, then the world icon (🌐) → Translate All. Reset All erases any manual edits you made to translations, so copy anything you want to keep before you reset.

Step 1: Set Up Your Primary Language

1. Create your email with multi-language enabled
2. Build your complete email in your primary language
3. Add all content blocks, images, and buttons

Step 2: Translate Your First Additional Language

1. Click the language dropdown at the top of the Email Builder (for example, English)
2. Select your second language
3. Click the world icon (🌐) → Translate
4. All supported content blocks translate automatically
5. Review the translations and make manual edits if needed

Step 3: Repeat for Additional Languages

1. Select your next language from the dropdown
2. Click the world icon (🌐) → Translate
3. Review and edit as needed
4. Repeat for up to 10 total languages

Undoing Auto-Translation

If you want to revert a language to your primary language:

1. Select your desired language from the dropdown
2. Click the world icon (🌐) → Reset translation
3. All content reverts to the primary language

Warning: This erases ALL manual edits you made after auto-translating. You'll need to re-translate and re-edit the entire language version.

🎥 Click here for a video walkthrough

Translate All / Reset All

Use these actions on the primary language to translate or reset every language version at once, instead of switching between languages one by one.

1. Select the primary language from the dropdown
2. Click the world icon (🌐) → Translate All to translate every language
3. Click the world icon (🌐) → Reset All to undo every translation

How to Re-Translate After Editing

If you edit your primary language after translating — or you duplicated an already-translated email or template — the existing translations don't update on their own, and clicking Translate again won't replace them. From the primary language:

1. Copy any manual edits you want to keep to a document
2. Click the world icon (🌐) → Reset All
3. Click the world icon (🌐) → Translate All

Reviewing and Editing Translations

Auto-translation is very accurate, but always review before sending:

1. Check for context: DeepL may not understand industry-specific terms or company jargon
2. Verify tone: Ensure the translation matches your brand voice
3. Review length: Translations may be longer or shorter than the original
4. Test links and buttons: Confirm interactive elements still make sense
5. Cultural sensitivity: Ensure idioms and phrases translate appropriately

Best practice: Have a native speaker review each language version before sending.

Manually Editing After Auto-Translation

You can edit any translated content after using auto-translation:

1. Click into any content block
2. Edit the text directly
3. Changes save automatically
4. The undo icon will still revert everything, including your manual edits

Tip: If you need to keep some manual edits, copy them to a document before using the undo function.

Auto-Translation vs. Manual Translation

When to Use Auto-Translation

• First drafts and quick turnarounds
• Internal communications with a less formal tone
• Standard business language without technical jargon
• When you have native speakers available for review

When to Use Manual Translation

• Legal documents or compliance materials
• Marketing campaigns with a specific brand voice
• Content with cultural nuances or idioms
• Highly technical or industry-specific content

Supported Languages

DeepL supports the following languages (check the language dropdown in your Email Builder for the complete current list):

• English
• Spanish
• French
• German
• Italian
• Portuguese
• Dutch
• Polish
• Russian
• Japanese
• Chinese
• And many more

Note: Language availability may change as DeepL adds support for new languages.

Best Practices

• Start with a clean primary language: Ensure your primary language is clear and concise. Complex sentences may translate awkwardly.
• Avoid idioms: Phrases like "ballpark figure" or "low-hanging fruit" often translate poorly.
• Use simple sentence structure: Shorter, direct sentences translate more accurately.
• Test with native speakers: Always have someone fluent review translations before sending.
• Keep formatting consistent: Don't change layout between languages—only change text.
• Document special terms: Create a glossary of company-specific terms with preferred translations.
• Review after updates: If you edit your primary language, reset all before retranslating.

Combining Auto-Translation With AI Writing Tools

You can use both auto-translation and the ChatGPT integration:

1. Use ChatGPT to help write your primary language content
2. Use auto-translation to create additional language versions
3. Use ChatGPT again to refine specific translations if needed

Learn more here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I choose a different translation engine?
No, ContactMonkey uses DeepL exclusively for auto-translation.

Does auto-translation cost extra?
No, auto-translation is included with Grow and Enterprise subscriptions.

Can I translate just one content block?
No, auto-translation translates all supported blocks at once. You can manually edit individual blocks after translation.

Troubleshooting Auto-Translation

Problem: Translated versions show old, unrelated, or missing content.
Solution: This happens when the email was already translated — often a duplicated email or template, or content added to the primary language after translating. From the primary language, click 🌐 → Reset All, then 🌐 → Translate All. Copy any manual edits you want to keep first, because Reset All erases them.

Problem: Nothing changes when you click Translate.
Solution: Check which language is selected in the language dropdown at the top of the Email Builder. Translate only affects the language you're currently viewing. Select the language you want, then try again.

Problem: Some content stays in your primary language after translating.
Solution: Some blocks don't auto-translate. See What Does NOT Translate above, and replace unsupported blocks (such as legacy Text blocks) with Paragraph or Title blocks.

Problem: Content is still not translating as expected.
Solution: Share the email with cstemplates@contactmonkey.com and submit a support ticket so our team can investigate.

See Also

• Converting a Multi-Language Email to Single Language
• Multi-Language Email Limitations and Workarounds