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Bureau Works - ServiceNow Integration

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How to configure and use the Bureau Works Translator Service Spoke

Overview

The Bureau Works Translator Service Spoke enables seamless AI-powered translation directly within your ServiceNow environment. This integration eliminates language barriers that can limit global collaboration, delay support resolution, and reduce user adoption.

With enterprise-grade AI and Bureau Works’ Sous-Chef contextual technology, translations are context-aware and adapted to ServiceNow terminology and business use cases — going beyond basic machine translation tools.

The integration works natively with:

  • Dynamic Translation – Real-time translation of Forms, Activity Streams, and UI elements

  • Localization Framework – Structured translation workflows for Knowledge Articles, Catalog Items, and other configurable content

No workflow changes are required after configuration.

Index

  1. Application Overview

  2. Installation from ServiceNow Store

  3. Requirements and Dependencies

  4. Post-Installation Configuration

  5. Testing the Configuration

  6. Troubleshooting

1. Application Overview

The Bureau Works Translator Service Spoke connects your ServiceNow instance to the Bureau Works Translation Platform via secure REST APIs.

It enables:

  • Real-time translation in Activity Streams

  • Automatic language detection

  • Translation of Knowledge Base content

  • Context-aware AI translation

  • Secure API-based authentication

This application follows ServiceNow’s scoped application standards and configuration requirements .

2. Installation from ServiceNow Store

To install the application:

  1. Access the ServiceNow Store:
    ​https://store.servicenow.com/store/app/bed8ca158713ba90e95f40c5cebb353a
    ​

  2. Click Get and proceed with installation in your instance.

  3. Review and approve any requested dependencies during installation.

⚠️ You must have appropriate admin permissions in ServiceNow to install applications and plugins.

3. Requirements and Dependencies

Before configuration, ensure the following requirements are met.

Supported ServiceNow Versions

Compatible with instances that support:

  • Dynamic Translation

  • Localization Framework

Required Plugins

The following plugins must be installed and active:

  • Dynamic Translation
    ​com.glide.dynamic_translation

  • Localization Framework
    ​com.glide.localization_framework.installer

If these plugins are not installed, they must be requested and activated before proceeding.

Required Table Permissions

The application requires read access to:

  • sys_alias – READ

  • sys_connection – READ

  • sys_auth_profile_basic – READ

4. Post-Installation Configuration

After installing the application, complete the following configuration steps.

4.1 Configure a Credential

  1. Navigate to:
    ​Connection & Credentials > Credentials

  2. Click New

  3. Select Basic Auth Credentials

  4. Fill in:

    • Name: Bureau Works API Credentials

    • Username: Your Bureau Works API ID

    • Password: Your Bureau Works API Secret
      ​


      ​
      If you haven't created any API ID and Secret Key yet, Go to your profile in Bureau Works as an account admin., navigate to Security, and click on Generate to copy the access credentials.

      ⚠️ Warning: Generating a new key will invalidate the previous one, so remember to update the services using this key to ensure proper connectivity.
      ​

  5. Click Submit
    ​

4.2 Configure the Connection

  1. Navigate to:
    ​Connection & Credentials > Connections & Credential Aliases

  2. Select Bureau Works

  3. In the Connections tab, click New

  4. Enter:

    • Name: Bureau Works Connection

    • Credential: Bureau Works API Credentials

    • Connection URL:

      • US Production: https://app.bureauworks.com

      • EU Production: https://eu.bureauworks.com

  5. Click Submit
    ​

4.3 Configure Translator Configurations

  1. Navigate to:
    ​Dynamic Translation > Translator Configurations

  2. If there are existing configurations marked as:

    • Mark as default for translation = true

    • Mark as default for detection = true

    Update them to false before proceeding.

  3. Select Bureau Works

  4. Click the link: “To edit the record click here.”

  5. Enable:

    • Mark as default for translation

    • Mark as default for detection

  6. Click Update
    ​

4.4 Bureau Works-Side Configuration

  1. Log in to Bureau Works:

  2. Navigate to:
    ​Tools > ServiceNow

  3. Configure translation parameters as needed for your organization.

See this section for more details on how the sous-chef works.

5. Testing the Configuration

If your application requires successful communication with external systems, please outline how to test the connection and ensure successful configuration

Method 1: Test Using Activity Streams (Recommended for Quick Validation)

The simplest way to test the configuration is by using the translation feature in Activity Streams:

  1. Navigate to any form that supports Activity Streams (e.g., Incidents, Tasks)

- Example: https://INSTANCE_ID.service-now.com/incident.do

2. Post a work note or comment in a language different from your user preference

- Example text in Portuguese: O cliente alega que o problema é intermitente.

3. Click the Translate button that appears next to the message

4. Verify that the text is successfully translated into your preferred language

Expected Result: The translation should complete within a few seconds, and the translated text should appear below the original message.

Method 2: Configuration Validation (Diagnostic Script)

For a thorough validation of the entire configuration, use the built-in diagnostic utility:

1. Go to System Definition > Scripts - Background in ServiceNow

2. Select global in the scope dropdown

3. Run the diagnostic script:

gs.info(JSON.stringify(new x_but_bw_spoke.BureauWorksrunDiagnosticsUtil().runDiagnostics(), null, 2));

6. Troubleshooting

The Bureau Works Spoke includes a built-in diagnostic utility that helps troubleshoot configuration issues.

Running Diagnostics

1. Navigate to System Definition > Scripts - Background in ServiceNow

2. Select global in the scope dropdown

3. Execute the following script:

gs.info(JSON.stringify(new x_but_bw_spoke.BureauWorksrunDiagnosticsUtil().runDiagnostics(), null, 2));

The built-in diagnostic utility provides detailed validation of each configuration layer .

If issues persist, contact Bureau Works Support and provide:

  • Instance ID

  • Diagnostic output

  • Screenshots of configuration steps

Using the Bureau Works Translator in ServiceNow

Translating Incidents, Knowledge Articles, and Catalog Items

Overview

After completing the installation and configuration of the Bureau Works Translator Service Spoke, users can begin translating content directly within ServiceNow.

The Bureau Works integration enables translation across multiple components of the platform, including:

  • Incidents (Service Desk)

  • Knowledge Articles

  • Catalog Items

Translations are powered by Bureau Works’ AI engine and work directly within the ServiceNow interface — no workflow changes are required.

Index

  1. Translating Incidents

  2. Translating Knowledge Articles

  3. Translating Catalog Items

1. Translating Incidents

1.1 Supported Fields for Incident Translation

The Bureau Works Translator supports translation of both Form Fields and Activity Stream Fields within an Incident.

Form Fields

  • Short Description
    Short text field typically used for the incident summary.

  • Description
    Long text field for detailed context and incident information.

Activity Stream Fields

  • Work Notes
    Internal communication notes.

  • Additional Comments
    External or client-facing communication.

  • Resolution Notes
    Final resolution details located under Resolution Information.

1.2 How to Translate an Incident

To translate content in an Incident:

  1. Navigate to:
    ​Service Desk → Incidents

  2. Open an existing Incident.

  3. Ensure there is content inserted in one or more of the supported fields:

    • Short Description

    • Description

    • Work Notes

    • Additional Comments

    • Resolution Notes

  4. Click the Translate button available next to the content.

  5. The translated text will be displayed automatically below the original content.

Screenshare - 2026-02-26 4_14_26 PM.mp4 [video-to-gif output image]

2. Translating Knowledge Articles

The Bureau Works Translator also integrates with ServiceNow’s Localization Framework, enabling translation of Knowledge Base content.

Supported Content

  • Article Title

  • Article Body

  • Additional structured fields configured in the Knowledge table

2.1 How to Translate a Knowledge Article

  1. Navigate to:
    Self-Service→ My Knowledge Article

  2. Open the desired Knowledge Article.

  3. Ensure the article contains the content to be translated.

  4. Select the checkbox of the newly created KA.

  5. Click Request Translation.
    ⚠️ Note: If the Request Translation button does not appear, verify that additional language packs (besides English) are installed in the instance.

  6. Choose the target language.

  7. Submit the translation request.

2.2 Manual Translation Process

  1. Configure the table to display the Localization Task column

  2. Click the link in the Localization Task column (it starts with LFTASK)

  3. Click the Translate button

  4. Click the Machine Translate button

  5. Verify the result and check if the message Successfully translated using Bureau Works is displayed

3. Translating Catalog Items

Catalog Items can also be translated using the Localization Framework integration.

This ensures service request descriptions and item details are available in multiple languages for global users.
Before proceeding with this step, make sure you have applied the configurations described in the Knowledge Articles section.
​

Supported Content

  • Catalog Item Name

  • Short Description

  • Description

  • Variable labels and help text (depending on configuration)

3.1 How to Translate a Catalog Item

  1. Navigate to:
    ​Service Catalog → Catalog Definitions → Maintain Items

  2. Open the Catalog Item you want to translate.

  3. Click the Request Translations button.

  4. Select the target language(s).

  5. Submit the request.

3.2 Manual Translation Process

  1. Configure the table to display the Localization Task column

  2. Click the link in the Localization Task column (it starts with LFTASK)

  3. Click the Translate button

  4. Click the Machine Translate button

The translated version will be created within the Localization Framework structure and linked to the original item.
​

Screenshare - 2026-02-26 5_55_40 PM.mp4 [video-to-gif output image]
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