Multi-Language Ads

Customize different parts of ad creative such as the image, video, text, and body of an ad to reach speakers of different language. Facebook optimizes your ad to show the right language version to the right people.

This helps you to easily set up an ad in multiple languages and deliver the most relevant language version in your ad to a viewer while retaining a broad targeting for the ad. This enables you to have personalized content based on a viewer's spoken language while maintaining cost-efficient ads.

For general information on this feature, see Ads Help Center, Advertise to a multilingual audience. See supported ad campaign objectives.

Multi-Language Ads is one of our three APIs that use asset customization rules.

Get Started

Before you get started, check restrictions for this product. If your use case meets our specifications, move on to the following steps:

If you do not have the resources to manually translate your ad, check out our automatic translation service.

Step 2: Provide creative via asset_feed_spec

Multi-Language Ads creatives are specified using asset_feed_specs. An asset feed is a collection of different creative elements, such as image, titles, bodies, and so on. You create an asset_feed_spec at /adcreative.

To create an asset_feed_spec, provide an array of assets for each different language. Add a label to tag each asset to identify the language the asset belongs to. Facebook uses the labels in asset_customization_rules to group assets together by language. You should provide at least one asset per asset type.

Available Parameters

Parameters to provide in asset_feed_spec include:

Property Name Description

images

type: array

Required for SINGLE_IMAGE ad format. Provide url or hash.

Images as url or hash. You should provide images which are in the ad account's image library.


Provide this field as an array of {"url": "<IMAGE_URL>", "hash": "<IMAGE_HASH>", "url_tags": "<TAG>", "adlabels": [{name: "<LABEL>"}]}.

videos

type: array

Required for SINGLE_VIDEO ad format.

Array of video_ids. Videos should be in the ad account's video library.


Provide this field as an array of {"video_id": "<VIDEO_ID>","thumbnail_url": "{<THUMBNAIL_URL>}", "url_tags": "{<TAG>}", "adlabels": [{"name": "<LABEL>"}]}.

bodies

type: array

Required, but url_tags are optional.

Array of bodies containing primary message of ad.


Provide this field as an array of {"text": "<BODY_TEXT>", "url_tags": "<TAG>", "adlabels": [{"name": "<LABEL>"}]}.

titles

type: array

Required, but url_tags are optional.

Array of titles. A short headline in the ad, generally shown next to a link, image or video.


Provide this field as an array of {"text": "<TITLE>", "url_tags": "<TAG>", "adlabels": [{"name": "<LABEL>"}]}.

descriptions

type: array

Required, but url_tags are optional.

Array of secondary description text, displayed less prominently than bodies or titles.


Provide this field as an array of {"text": "<DESCRIPTION>", "url_tags": "<TAG>", "adlabels": [{"name": "<LABEL>"}]}. Use an empty string with a single space for blank description.

link_urls

type: array

Required, but display_url and deeplink_url are optional.

Array of link URLs.


Provide this field as an array of {"website_url": "<URL>", "adlabels": [{"name": "<LABEL>"}], "deeplink_url": "<DEEPLINK>", "display_url": "<URL>"}.

call_to_action_types

type: array

Required.

Array of call-to-action-type values.


Provide this field as an array of supported call to actions: ["<CALL_TO_ACTION>"].

ad_formats

Required.

Array of Facebook ad formats you want to create the ads in. Supported formats are: SINGLE_IMAGE, SINGLE_VIDEO.


Provide this field as an array of supported ad formats: ["{<AD_FORMAT>}"].

asset_customization_rules

type: see table below under Asset Customization Rules

Required.

Array of asset customization rules.

Asset Customization Rules

Define the assets that appear together for viewers who speak a particular language. Each rule has a customization_spec which defines the locales of people who view these assets during ad delivery.

Provide exactly one default rule. This rule must include the assets that Facebook displays if someone's preferred language does not match any locales specified in the asset feed. This helps prevent under-delivery of your ads.

Property Name Description

customization_spec

type: {"locales": [<LOCALE1>, <LOCALE2>]}

Required.

Define the locales where the assets in this rule should deliver. For supported locales, see Available Languages.

image_label

type: {"name": "<LABEL>"}

Required for SINGLE_IMAGE ad format.

Label attached to one of the image assets in the asset feed.

video_label

type: {"name": "<LABEL>"}

Required for SINGLE_VIDEO ad format.

Label attached to one of the video assets in the asset feed.

body_label

type: {"name": "<LABEL>"}

Required.

Label attached to one of the body assets in the asset feed.

title_label

type: {"name": "<LABEL>"}

Required.

Label attached to one of the title assets in the asset feed.

description_label

type: {"name": "<LABEL>"}

Required.

Label attached to one of the description assets in the asset feed.

link_url_label

type: {"name": "<LABEL>"}

Required.

Label attached to one of the link_url assets in the asset feed.

is_default

type: boolean

Required.

Boolean flag to identify the default rule. You should set exactly one rule with is_default flag as true.

Available Languages

The locales you provide in customization_spec must be locale IDs supported in ads targeting. See Targeting and Placement, Locales. You can search for specific language using the /search endpoint. Use the q parameter to search for a specific language name. Leave this parameter blank to get the list of all supported languages:

curl -G 
  -d "type=adlocale"
  -d "q=en"
  -d "limit=2"
  -d "access_token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>" 
  https://graph.facebook.com/<API_VERSION>/search

On success you get a list of languages:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "key": 6,
      "name": "English (US)"
    },
    {
      "key": 24,
      "name": "English (UK)"
    }
  ],
  "paging": {
    "cursors": {
      "before": "MAZDZD",
      "after": "MAZDZD",
    }
  }
}

You should use the keys in these search results as locales in your asset customization rules. For more information, see Targeting Search.

Step 3: Create Ads using Asset Feed Specs

You can create an asset feed using the asset_feed_spec field in POST ad_account_ID/adcreatives:

curl 
  -F 'object_story_spec={
       "page_id": "<PAGE_ID>",
       "instagram_actor_id": "<INSTAGRAM_ACTOR_ID>",
     }'
  -F 'asset_feed_spec={
       "ad_formats": ["SINGLE_IMAGE"],
       "bodies": [
         {
           "text": "Try our delicious guacamole recipe!",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "english"}],
         },
         {
           "text": "Essayez notre délicieuse recette de guacamole!",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "french"}],
         },
       ],
       "titles": [
         {
           "text": "Jaspers Market",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "english"}],
         },
         {
           "text": "Jaspers Market",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "french"}],
         },
       ],
       "descriptions": [
         {
           "text": "The best avocados!",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "english"}],
         },
         {
           "text": "Les meilleurs avocats!",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "french"}],
         },
       ],
       "link_urls": [
         {
           "website_url": "www.jaspersmarket.com/en",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "english"}],
         },
         {
           "website_url": "www.jaspersmarket.com/fr",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "french"}],
         },
       ],
       "images": [
         {
           "hash": "J45p3r5m4RK374VOc4DO2",
         },
       ],
       "call_to_action_types": ["SHOP_NOW"],
       "asset_customization_rules": [
         {
           "customization_spec": {
             "locales": [9,44],
           },
           "title_label": {"name": "french"},
           "body_label": {"name": "french"},
           "description_label": {"name": "french"},
           "link_url_label": {"name": "french"},
         },
         {
             "is_default": true,
           "customization_spec": {
             "locales": [24]
           },
           "title_label": {"name": "english"},
           "body_label": {"name": "english"},
           "description_label": {"name": "english"},
           "link_url_label": {"name": "english"},
         },
       ]
     }'
  -F 'access_token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>'
https://graph.facebook.com/API_VERSION/act_AD_ACCOUNT_ID/adcreatives

On success, you get the ID for the ad creative:

{"id":"238474593777777"}

If your asset_feed_spec does meet the restrictions below, you see an error.

To create an ad with this ad creative ID, call POST act_AD_ACCOUNT_ID/ads. Alternatively, to display different languages in your ad, provide the asset_feed_spec and object_story_spec in the creative parameter for the ad.

To verify the new asset_feed_spec, you call GET on the ad ID or the ad creative ID:

curl -G
-d 'fields=object_story_spec,asset_feed_spec'
-d 'access_token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>'
https://graph.facebook.com/API_VERSION/<CREATIVE_ID>

Optional Step 4: Preview Your Ad

Preview the different language versions of your ad using the generatepreview endpoint. Add a dynamic_asset_label field with an adlabel in a rule to view a specific language version.

For example, to preview the French version of the above creative:

curl -G \
  --data-urlencode 'creative={ 
    "object_story_spec": { 
      "page_id": "<PAGE_ID>" 
    },
    "asset_feed_spec": {
      ...
    }
  }' \
  -d 'ad_format=DESKTOP_FEED_STANDARD' \
  -d 'dynamic_asset_label=french'
  -d 'access_token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>' \
  https://graph.facebook.com/<API_VERSION>/act_<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>/generatepreviews

Automatic Translations

You can use our automatic translation service, if you do not have the resources to manually translate your ad. This capability translates your default ad copy to additional languages, so you can reach a multilingual audience.

The source for the automatic translation can be found in the text assets specified by the default asset customization rule. Automatically translated ad copies are labeled as “Automatically Translated”.

To create an automatically translated version of your ad copy, add autotranslate to asset_feed_spec. Then, specify the languages you would like your copy to be translated to. See example:

curl 
  -F 'object_story_spec={
       "page_id": "<PAGE_ID>",
       "instagram_actor_id": "<INSTAGRAM_ACTOR_ID>",
     }'
  -F 'asset_feed_spec={
       "ad_formats": ["SINGLE_IMAGE"],
       "autotranslate": ["fr_XX"],
       "bodies": [
         {
           "text": "Try our delicious guacamole recipe!",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "english"}],
         }
       ],
       "titles": [
         {
           "text": "Jaspers Market",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "english"}]
         }
       ],
       "descriptions": [
         {
           "text": "The best avocados!",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "english"}]
         }
       ],
       "link_urls": [
         {
           "website_url": "www.jaspersmarket.com",
           "adlabels": [{"name": "english"}]
         }
       ],
       "images": [
         {
           "hash": "<IMAGE_HASH>"
         },
       ],
       "call_to_action_types": ["SHOP_NOW"],
       "asset_customization_rules": [
         {
           "is_default": true,
           "customization_spec": {
             "locales": [6]
           },
           "title_label": {"name": "english"},
           "body_label": {"name": "english"},
           "description_label": {"name": "english"},
           "link_url_label": {"name": "english"}
         }
       ]
     }'
  -F 'access_token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>'
https://graph.facebook.com/<API_VERSION>/act_<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>/adcreatives/?fields=asset_feed_spec

The automatically translated copies can be reviewed with a call to the asset_feed_spec field on the creative.

Any edits to the auto translated copies on the spec will be dropped if the same language is specified on the autotranslate field. These edits will be replaced by fresh translations from the default ad copy. If you absolutely need the edits, remove the language from the autotranslate field.

link_urls

You can add a custom link URL to the automatically translated ad version.

To do this, add an language-specific URL to the link_urls field along with an adlabel and add a new rule into asset_customization_rules with the associated locale codes and link_url_label for this language.

Restrictions

The following are restrictions and limits on your asset feed.

Ad Formats

  • Only one ad format per asset_feed_spec
  • For SINGLE_IMAGE format, you must provide at least one image.
  • For SINGLE_VIDEO format, you must provide at least one video

Assets, General

  • You can provide at most 49 assets for every asset type except call_to_action_types.
  • You must provide exactly one call_to_action_type asset for all objectives.

Text Assets

  • You must provide at least one text asset, such as titles, bodies, descriptions and link_urls, for every language version in the asset feed.
  • All text assets should have the adlabels field.
  • Maximum length: 255 characters for title, 4096 characters for body, and 10000 characters for description.

Image and Video Assets

  • For recommended image sizes by placement and objective, see the Ads Guide.
  • You can use up to one image or video asset without an adlabel. We use this image or video for all the language versions.
  • If you provide additional videos or images, you must include adlabels and provide these labels in your asset customization rule.

Link URL Assets

  • If you provide url_tags, we append them to the link_url as parameters for each asset in the ad.
  • If you use the APP_INSTALLS objective, your link_url should be the same as the ad set's promoted_object.object_store_url.

Asset Customization Rules

  • You should provide an asset customization rule for every language variant in asset_feed_spec.
  • You should provide one default rule. This is an asset customization rule with is_default set to true. This acts as a backup rule and enables ads to display even when someone's locale does not match any of the languages in asset_feed_spec.

Placements

  • Multi-Language Ads supports all placements.

Available Objectives and Destination Types

  • LINK_CLICKS - Website and apps, no Messenger.
  • APP_INSTALLS - Desktop or mobile apps.
  • CONVERSIONS - Website and apps, no Messenger.
  • REACH - All destination types.
  • BRAND_AWARENESS - All destination types.
  • VIDEO_VIEWS - All destination types

Supported Buying Types

Supported Translation Directions

The following translation directions are supported. Use the corresponding dialect code in the autotranslate field:

Source LanguageTarget Translation LanguageDialect Code

English

Spanish

es_XX

English

French

fr_XX

English

German

de_DE

English

Portuguese

pt_XX

English

Italian

it_IT

English

Arabic

ar_AR

English

Dutch

nl_XX

English

Malay

ms_MY

English

Swedish

sv_SE

English

Indonesian

id_ID

English

Polish

pl_PL

English

Hindi

hi_IN

English

Danish

da_DK

English

Turkish

tr_TR

English

Tagalog

tl_XX

English

Romanian

ro_RO

German

English

en_XX

Arabic

English

en_XX

Hebrew

English

en_XX

Spanish

English

en_XX

Japanese

English

en_XX

Norwegian

English

en_XX

French

English

en_XX

Dutch

English

en_XX

Swedish

English

en_XX