How Internal Links Work in Translations

When you translate articles that contain links to other articles in your help center, it's important to understand how these links behave. This guide explains how Intercom handles language-specific URLs and what you can do to ensure readers land on the right language version.

How Intercom Determines Language

Intercom uses the URL path to determine which language version of an article to display. The language code appears in the URL:

/en/articles/123 - English version
/fr/articles/123 - French version
/de/articles/123 - German version
/es/articles/123 - Spanish version

If someone visits a URL with a specific language code, Intercom shows that language version (if it exists). If the language version doesn't exist, Intercom falls back to the default language.

URLs Without a Language Code

If a URL doesn't include a language code, Intercom uses the visitor's browser language settings to determine which version to show. For example:

https://help.example.com/articles/123 - Shows the version matching the visitor's browser language

This can be useful for creating language-neutral links that adapt to the reader.

How TranslateDesk Handles Links

When TranslateDesk translates an article, links are preserved exactly as they appear in the source article. This means:

If your English article links to /en/articles/456, the translated French version will also link to /en/articles/456
The link URL is not automatically changed to /fr/articles/456

This is intentional - TranslateDesk preserves all URLs to maintain link integrity and avoid breaking links to external resources or articles that may not have translations yet.

Ensuring Readers Land on the Right Language

You have several options to ensure readers see articles in their preferred language:

Option 1: Use Language-Neutral URLs (Recommended)

Instead of hardcoding a language in your links, use URLs without a language prefix:

Instead of:

https://help.example.com/en/articles/123-getting-started

Use:

https://help.example.com/articles/123-getting-started

With language-neutral URLs, Intercom automatically shows the version that matches the reader's browser language. This works well when you plan to translate all linked articles.

Option 2: Update Links Manually After Translation

After translating an article, you can edit the translation to update internal links:

Open the translated article in TranslateDesk
Find links that point to /en/ versions
Change them to the target language (e.g., /fr/)
Push the updated translation to Intercom

This gives you full control but requires manual effort for each link.

Option 3: Keep Links as English (Fallback)

If you're not sure whether linked articles will be translated, keeping links to the English version ensures readers always reach a working article. They may see it in English, but at least the link won't break.

Best Practices

Use language-neutral URLs when possible - This provides the best experience as your translations expand
Translate linked articles together - When articles reference each other, translate them as a group so all cross-links work in the target language
Audit links periodically - Review your most important articles to ensure internal links point to the right language versions
Document your linking strategy - Decide on a consistent approach for your team (language-neutral vs. language-specific)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't TranslateDesk automatically update links?

TranslateDesk preserves URLs to avoid unintended changes. Not all linked content may have translations, and some links may point to external resources. Automatic link rewriting could break these references.

What if a linked article doesn't exist in the target language?

If someone clicks a link to /fr/articles/123 but no French version exists, Intercom typically falls back to the default language version. The reader still reaches the content, just in a different language.

Can I use relative URLs?

Yes, relative URLs work well and are often the simplest solution. A link like /articles/123 (without the domain) will stay within the same help center and respect the reader's language preference.

Next Steps

Learn about formatting preservation to understand how other content elements are handled
See how to review translations to check links before publishing
Discover glossaries to control how specific terms are translated