\(Legacy\) Specify a fallback language for locale-specific languages and NLU prediction

task australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read specify-fallback-language-nlu-prediction.md

Provide language locale support by specifying a fallback language for Virtual Agent to use for topics, keywords, and NLU prediction. For example, the ServiceNow® platform doesn't support Mexican Spanish (mx-es), but it does support Spanish (es), which you can designate as the fallback language for a better user experience.

Before you begin

Note: The fallback language plugin must be installed on the instance. Once installed, the language is available in the Languages [sys_language] table. If Now Assist in Virtual Agent is on and you work with LLM-enabled conversations, you can only establish a fallback language in the Languages [sys_language] table rather than use the following steps.

Role required: virtual_agent_admin or admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > Conversational Interfaces > Settings.
Select Virtual Agent.
On the Multi language support card, slide the Language Detection toggle switch to enable it.
Select View All.
Select the name of a language to open the record.
Select Edit Record at the top of the page.
In the Fallback field, select the Search icon ([Omitted image "icon-search.png"] Alt text: Search icon.) and select an available language.

[Omitted image "add-fallback-lang-existing.png"] Alt text: Languages table entry for Mexican Spanish. The Fallback line is highlighted, with Spanish entered as the fallback language.
Select Update.

Result

Custom locales appear in the Languages [sys_language] table, along with their fallback language. The language code (ID) indicates a language that Virtual Agent can detect. In the following example, three French locales use French as the fallback language. Only French Canadian remains unconfigured.

[Omitted image "fallback-lang-new-locales.png"] Alt text: The Languages table with custom locales configured. Highlighted entries for Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland have standard French as a fallback, while Canadian French has no Fallback.

Parent Topic:(Legacy) Localization options for Virtual Agent for NLU

Keywords FallbacklanguageNLUNow AssistVirtual Agentsys\_language

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---
title: \(Legacy\) Specify a fallback language for locale-specific languages and NLU prediction
description: Provide language locale support by specifying a fallback language for Virtual Agent to use for topics, keywords, and NLU prediction. For example, the ServiceNow platform doesn't support Mexican Spanish \(mx-es\), but it does support Spanish \(es\), which you can designate as the fallback language for a better user experience.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/conversational-interfaces/specify-fallback-language-nlu-prediction.html
release: australia
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
keywords: [Fallback, language, NLU, Now Assist, Virtual Agent, sys\_language]
breadcrumb: [Localization options for NLU conversations, Build and deploy NLU conversations, \(Legacy\) Virtual Agent for NLU, Conversational Interfaces]
---

# \(Legacy\) Specify a fallback language for locale-specific languages and NLU prediction

Provide language locale support by specifying a fallback language for Virtual Agent to use for topics, keywords, and NLU prediction. For example, the ServiceNow® platform doesn't support Mexican Spanish \(mx-es\), but it does support Spanish \(es\), which you can designate as the fallback language for a better user experience.

## Before you begin

**Note:** The fallback language plugin must be installed on the instance. Once installed, the language is available in the Languages \[sys\_language\] table. If Now Assist in Virtual Agent is on and you work with LLM-enabled conversations, you can only establish a fallback language in the Languages \[sys\_language\] table rather than use the following steps.

Role required: virtual\_agent\_admin or admin

## Procedure

1. Navigate to **All** &gt; **Conversational Interfaces** &gt; **Settings**.

2. Select **Virtual Agent**.

3. On the Multi language support card, slide the **Language Detection** toggle switch to enable it.

4. Select **View All**.

5. Select the name of a language to open the record.

6. Select **Edit Record** at the top of the page.

7. In the **Fallback** field, select the Search icon \(\[Omitted image "icon-search.png"\] Alt text: Search icon.\) and select an available language.

\[Omitted image "add-fallback-lang-existing.png"\] Alt text: Languages table entry for Mexican Spanish. The Fallback line is highlighted, with Spanish entered as the fallback language.

8. Select **Update**.

## Result

Custom locales appear in the Languages \[sys\_language\] table, along with their fallback language. The language code \(ID\) indicates a language that Virtual Agent can detect. In the following example, three French locales use French as the fallback language. Only French Canadian remains unconfigured.

\[Omitted image "fallback-lang-new-locales.png"\] Alt text: The Languages table with custom locales configured. Highlighted entries for Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland have standard French as a fallback, while Canadian French has no Fallback.

**Parent Topic:**[\(Legacy\) Localization options for Virtual Agent for NLU](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/conversational-interfaces/multi-language-options-va.md)