Multi-language email templates

If your members speak multiple languages, you can configure Garde's notification emails to match the language used in the cancel flow. This guide covers who needs this, how to set it up, and what happens when a translation isn't available.

Who needs this

Most English-speaking wine clubs can skip this entirely — Garde sends emails in English by default.

You need multi-language email templates if:

• You have members who primarily speak French, Spanish, or another supported language
• You're running a European wine club where members expect communications in their local language
• You've already translated your cancel flow and want the email notifications to match

If you only serve English-speaking members, your existing email templates are fine as-is.

How to add a language in the email editor

1. Go to Admin → Config for your winery
2. Click on the Email Templates section
3. At the top of the template editor, you'll see a locale tab strip (EN by default)
4. Click + Add Language and select the locale you want to add
5. A new tab appears for that locale — fill in the subject line and body for each email template
6. Repeat for each locale you want to support
7. Save when done

You can add as many locales as you need. The supported languages are the same as the cancel flow: EN, FR, DE, ES, PT, IT, NL, ZH, JA, KO.

Fallback behavior

If a member's detected locale doesn't have a translated email template, Garde falls back to English. Specifically:

• If the locale tab exists but some fields are empty → Garde uses English for those fields
• If the locale tab doesn't exist at all → Garde uses the full English template

This means you can add partial translations without breaking anything. If you've only translated the French cancel notification but not the retained confirmation, French members will receive the French cancel notification and the English retained confirmation.

Which emails respect the locale

The following cancel-flow emails use the member's detected locale when sending:

• Cancel notification — sent to your staff when a member completes a cancellation
• Retained confirmation — sent to your staff when a member accepts a save offer
• Contact request alert — sent to your staff when a member requests a callback

These emails are triggered at the end of the cancel flow session, so they use the same locale that was active during the flow.

Note: Dunning emails (payment failure sequences) are not yet locale-aware. They send in English regardless of member language. Locale support for dunning is planned for a future release.

Checking your templates

After adding translations, test the flow in the target language to confirm the emails send correctly:

1. Open the cancel flow with ?lang=fr (or your target locale)
2. Complete a test session through to cancellation or retention
3. Check your staff email inbox for the notification — it should arrive in French

If the email arrives in English when you expected French, confirm that the French locale tab in the email editor is filled in and saved for that template type.

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Next: Email notifications — what gets sent and when — the complete guide to Garde's email notification system.