How can I translate the Prompt Sets?

Location of Prompt Sets

All prompt sets are located within this folder:
<3CX PhoneSystem folder>\Data\Ivr\Prompts\Sets

Each prompt set has a separate subdirectory. For example, the default English prompt set is located within the <3CX PhoneSystem folder>\Data\Ivr\Prompts\Sets\8210986B-9412-497f-AD77-3A554F4A9BDB directory; the German prompt set is located within the <3CX PhoneSystem folder>\Data\Ivr\Prompts\Sets\03E2DC8C-3382-43e2-A9D5-115F92C847BE directory.

The name of the prompt set directory does not tell much about the set. Actually, the name of the prompt set directory is the ID of the prompt set.

To get information about a prompt set, just have a look at the SetInfo.xml file within the directory of prompt set. This file fully describes prompt set, including the name of the prompt set, its version, and prompts.

For example, the default English prompt set is located within the <3CX PhoneSystem folder>\Data\Ivr\Prompts\Sets\8210986B-9412-497f-AD77-3A554F4A9BDB directory; and the <3CX PhoneSystem folder>\Data\Ivr\Prompts\Sets\8210986B-9412-497f-AD77-3A554F4A9BDB\SetInfo.xml file describes this prompt set and contains the following information:

Prompt Set Grammar

The grammar of prompt sets (that is the way how audio prompts are combined into phrases) is hardcoded into IVR scripts and cannot be changed. The only option is the “Use Alternative number pronunciation” one within “System Prompts” window of 3CX WEB Console (see the Picture 2). When this option is ON, then IVR combines phrases containing numbers and dates the same way as the German language does it.

Prompt Set Translation

Choosing Base Prompt Set

First, you have to choose a prompt set which you will use as a base, that is a prompt set you will translate. You can use the default English prompt set or download some other prompt set within 3CX Web Console (General -> Versions/Updates -> System Prompts Update).

Making Copy of Prompt Set

After you have chosen the prompt set for translation, you have to create a changeable copy of this prompt set. You cannot change the default English prompt set or prompt sets downloaded from 3CX Web Site, but you can create a copy from such prompt set and change this copy.


Picture 1 Making Copy of Prompt Set

In 3CX Web Console (General -> System prompts) select the prompt set (that you want to translate) as the current one (see the Picture 1). Then press the “Create Copy” button.

A new prompt set will be created as it is shown at the Picture 2. The created copy will be selected as the current prompt set.


Picture 2 Copy of Prompt Set

Physically WEB Console creates a new directory within the ‘<3CX PhoneSystem folder>\Data\Ivr\Prompts\Sets’ folder and copies all files from the base prompt set to this folder (see the Picture 3). The name of the new directory corresponds to the ID of the new prompt set. The ID of prompt set is a random string being created on prompt set creation.


Picture 3 Directory of Copied Prompt Set

Creating New Audio Files

You can create new audio files (containing translated phrases from the base prompt set) with using of synthesizer or recording audio from microphone. You can then edit audio in some audio editor.

When you create audio files, please keep the following recommendations:

  1) Create audio files in the format: WAV, PCM, 8 KHz, 16 bit.
  2) Big wav-files can be converted to mp3-files, but keep in mind the following considerations:
      a. Converting to mp3 usually creates significant silence at the beginning and at the end of prompt.
          So, it is not recommended to use mp3-conversion for prompts
          being used in combined phrases (it can create weird pauses between different parts of phrase).
      b. Conversion to mp3 can drastically decrease quality of sound. Use mp3 conversion with high quality .
  3) Remove redundant silence (more than 10-20 ms) at the beginning and at the end of prompts.
  4) Do not make abrupt cuttings of audio at the end of prompts. It can create audio artifacts (like flicks) at
      the end of prompts.
  5) Try to create prompts with similar audio characteristics, such as volume, pitch, voice timbre.

Replacing Audio Files

You can replace audio files (prompts) by two ways:

  1. You can manually replace audio files within the folder of your prompt set by new audio-files. At that, if you replace an audio-file with a file that has a different name, you must change the prompt filename within the SetInfo.xml file (see the set/prompts/prompt/file option in the Example 1).
  2. You can replace audio files using button ‘Browse’ within the “System Prompts” window of 3CX WEB Console. This way is better, because it automates all required changes within the SetInfo.xml file.

Translating Descriptions of Prompts

As far as you are changing content of audio files, you have to change description of prompts.

The SetInfo.xml file contains descriptions for all prompts within prompt set (see the Example 1). Descriptions of prompts are displayed in the ‘Prompts’ column of the “System Prompts” window (see the Picture 1 and Picture 2). The descriptions of prompts cannot be changed from 3CX WEB Console and can be changed manually in the SetInfo.xml file with using of some text-editor or xml-editor.

The text of the description can contain html formatting tags like '<I> </I>',  '<B> </B>', etc. All special html-characters (like ‘<’, ‘>’, ‘”’, etc) must be converted to corresponding html escape sequences(‘<’ to ‘&lt;’, ‘>’ to ‘&gt;’, ‘”’ to ‘&quot;’, etc).

Description of prompt can contain international (non-Latin) symbols. There are two ways to insert international characters to a prompt description:

  1. You can use the ‘&#xHH;’ html sequences, where ‘HH’ is hexadecimal code of a Unicode character. For example, the“Acc&#xE8;s refus&#xE9;”  string is displayed as “Accès refusé”.
  2. You can edit the SetInfo.xml file as a UTF-8 file, so you can use any Unicode characters within the prompt description.


Example 1 Description of Prompts in SetInfo.xml File

Prompt Set Packaging

After you have translated a prompt set (changed content of audio-files and translated description of prompts), you may want to send this prompt set to 3CX.

To make a prompt set package, just pack the directory of the prompt set (together with files and subfolders) by some archive utility like Rar or Zip. The directory of prompt set must contain all audio files and SetInfo.xml file. Then you can send the resulting archive to 3CX.

General 3CX Phone System FAQs