Introduction
When you configure a notification, you can compose its text in just the default language, or you can also compose translations in one or more additional languages. This makes it possible to send out notifications in the recipient’s preferred language, even if different from the platform default.
This article provides specific information about how to set up notifications in one or more languages, and in particular covers:
- How to compose messages in the default language, and what happens if the default language is changed
- What language is used to send a notification to a particular user, when multiple translations are available
- How to add or remove translations of the notification message in different languages
For a general overview of how to set up a notification, see the main article: Configuring notifications.
Access the message composition area
→ Note: If you want to begin configuring a new notification, first complete the steps in the article Configuring notifications > Create a new notification.
To access the message composition area for an existing notification:
- Select Navigation menu > Configuration (spanner icon) > Automation > Notifications and click the notification’s <name>.
- This will open the configuration page for that notification. There, select the Properties tab and in the vertical navigation select Composition.
- Under Composition, select the delivery method (for example, Email or Platform).
- If that delivery channel is already enabled, you will see the message composition area on the right hand side.
- Otherwise, you need to select the check box to enable the delivery channel first. For more information see the article Configuring notifications > Compose the notification message.
- At this point you are ready to enter the message text. You must do so at least in the default language, and can optionally also add translations in other languages.
Tip: Remember that the message texts (default language and translations) that you enter apply only to the currently selected delivery channel. If you want to enable another delivery channel, you will need to repeat these message composition steps there.
Default language of the notification
When you first create a notification and go to enter the message text for your chosen delivery channel, you will see the Translate fields toggle is initially set to off.
- This means the default language of the platform is automatically selected.
- If you are configuring the notification while logged-in to an extended enterprise client, the default language of that client (which may differ from that of the main platform) will be automatically selected
Tip: The default language of the main platform is set in the Localization tool. The default language for an extended enterprise client is set in the Language settings for that client. When you are configuring a notification, the required default language will be the one of the particular domain (main platform or extended enterprise) where you are logged in.
Using only the default language:
If you are not interested in any other translations, you only need to enter your message Subject and Body in the preselected default language.
→ If the chosen notification event has a prefilled template, this will appear already in the appropriate language, and you can edit it if needed.
For detailed instructions on how to enter or edit the notification message, see the article Customizing the notification message.
Please note: Even if you leave the Translate fields toggle OFF, after you save your notification and reopen it, you will see that the Translate fields toggle changes to ON, with the dropdown alongside it indicating that you have a translation in 1 language.
- This is still the same situation as before, and if you open the drop-down you will see that there is a translation only in the default language.
- You can set the Translate fields toggle back to OFF, but when you next reopen the notification it will appear back ON as before.
Adding other translations
After entering the text in the required default language, you can add other translations. To do this:
- Enable the Translate fields fields toggle, if not already active.
- Scroll down the Languages drop-down list and click the language that you want to add
- You will see the languages already added marked as Translated, while the others are marked Not translated. -
The message composition area will now let you enter the Subject and Body in the selected language.
→ If a predefined template exists for the selected language, these fields will be automatically populated with that template, and you can edit them if needed.For detailed instructions on how to enter or edit the notification message, see the article Customizing the notification message.
Note: Even if a predefined template exists for all available languages, you still need to add the translation for each language in turn, by clicking it in the drop-down list. The Languages drop down shows you how many translations you have currently added (eg Languages: 3 of 53). - When you have finished, click Save changes.
Please note that shortcode values in the notification message will not be translated. For example if a course title is in English, the {{course_name}} shortcode will be populated with that English title for all translations of your message text.
Removing translations
You can remove all the added translations, and revert to the situation with only the default language, by switching the Translate fields toggle back to Off.
→ Be careful when you do this, as all added translations in languages other than the default language will be lost. All languages except the default will revert to the “Not translated” state.
Please note that there is no way of removing an individual translation once you have added it. Even if you clear both the Subject and Body fields in that language, the translation remains activated. This means the notification would still be sent out in that language, but with an empty message.
What language is used to send a notification
When sending out a notification, the platform attempts first of all to send it in the recipient’s preferred language (as set in My Profile area).
If a translation in the recipient’s preferred language is unavailable, the platform will use the default language of the platform:
- For extended enterprise, the default language of the extended enterprise client will be used if available, otherwise the default language of the main platform.
In some scenarios, (eg when the default language is changed) a translation in the default language may be unavailable. In this case the fallback is to English. If an English translation is also not available, then the notification will not be sent out.
Summary of language used for a notification
The language used to send the notification is determined by choosing the first of these that is available:
>recipient user's preferred language
>default language of recipient's extended enterprise platform (if applicable)
>default language of the recipient's parent (main) platform
>English
And if none of these is available the notification will not be sent.
What happens if the default language is changed
If the platform default language is changed in the localization tool, then you may end up in a situation where existing notifications now lack a message text in the new default language.
- This may cause them to no longer be sent out. See the chapter What language is used to send a notification.
- When you edit these notifications, you will have to populate the message text in the new default language before you can save any changes to them.