How does email translation work in conversation threads?

Last updated: March 5, 2026

Before you start: Translation only works if each user has set their Message language in Settings > Profile. Without it, the translation UI will not appear - there is no error or prompt. Every team member who wants to use translation must configure this individually.

Our email translation feature works on incoming new messages, but has some important behavior to understand in email threads:

Translation Behavior in Email Threads

  • Translation is triggered only on new incoming messages

  • The language detected from the first message in a thread sets the context for that conversation

  • If the first message is in English, subsequent messages in the thread will not be translated

  • Translation does not continuously monitor conversations after the initial language detection

Why this matters

This design prevents accidental translations of content that should remain untranslated, such as:

  • Technical terms

  • Code blocks

  • Common typos

If you need to translate specific messages in an existing thread, you'll need to start a new conversation thread.