Message translation in the Unified Inbox has two halves. Each Operator picks the language they want guest messages translated into, and an admin picks the engine that does the translating. This article covers the second half: one choice, made once, for the whole organisation.
Admin only. The Organisation section is hidden for Operators without admin access, so if you cannot see it, that is why.
Where to find it
Go to Messaging > Inbox Settings and open Organisation.
Under Translation, open Translation provider.
Choose DeepL or Google Translate.
There is no Save button on this page. Your choice applies as soon as you select it.
DeepL or Google Translate
There are two options, and the trade-off between them is coverage against quality.
DeepL. Supports fewer languages, and is generally the stronger translation on the ones it does support. This is the better default for most European hotels.
Google Translate. Supports far more languages. Choose it when a language your team or your guests need is not on DeepL's list.
Check the two supported-language lists before you decide:
Your choice decides what Operators can pick
The provider you set here is the engine. The language each Operator chooses under Inbox Settings > Language is the target they want messages translated into.
The two are linked. The language list an Operator sees is filtered by the provider you have chosen, so it only ever offers languages that provider supports. Nobody can select a language the organisation cannot actually translate into, which is worth knowing: it means a missing language is never a mistake someone made in their own settings.
So if an Operator tells you the language they need is not in their dropdown, that is this setting. Check whether the language appears on DeepL's list. If it does not, switching to Google Translate widens the list for everyone immediately, and they can then select it.
Switching provider also narrows the list in the other direction. Moving from Google Translate to DeepL removes the languages DeepL does not cover, so check what your team is using before you make that change.
What this does not do
Organisation-wide, not per property. One provider covers the whole organisation. You cannot run DeepL at one property and Google Translate at another.
Not per Operator. Operators choose their own language, never their own provider.
Inbox messages only. The provider applies to messages in the Unified Inbox. Campaigns, the AI Agent and the Guest App are not affected.
New messages only. Changing the provider does not re-translate anything already in your Inbox. It applies to messages that arrive after the change.
Inbound only. Guest messages to you are translated. What you write back is sent exactly as you typed it, in whatever language you typed it.
What to do next
Setting the provider on its own translates nothing. Each Operator still needs to choose their own language: see Message translation in the Unified Inbox.
The Organisation section also holds your organisation's default email styling: see Set a default font, size and weight for Inbox emails. Inbox settings covers the rest of the settings panel.
Getting help
Open Talk to Us in the left menu of the platform, or email support@bookboost.io.