The buying rule is simple: speak Spanish, persist English.
Live listening can show Spanish. The string that lands on the work order, the
.msworkorder package, the PDF, and the
shop office is English only.
ServiceValet will not write untranslated Spanish onto the ticket.
Do not change Settings → General → Language & Region.
That only changes iPhone menus. Spanish must be added as a keyboard first,
or Dictation Languages stays empty and the field mic cannot hear Spanish.
1. Two different microphones
| Mic | Whose | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Field mic (in-app button on the note) | ServiceValet | In Spanish → English mode: hears Spanish, translates on the phone, inserts English into the ticket. This is the path the office needs. |
| Keyboard mic (Apple’s globe/mic on the system keyboard) | iOS | Drops whatever language it heard straight into the field. That text is not translated unless you tap the in-app Translate control afterward. Do not use the keyboard mic if you need English on the ticket. |
Use the in-app mic on Problem, Identification, Testing, Action taken, progress notes, estimate findings, and parts notes. Short name fields (site, unit, address line) stay English and are not translated.
2. Before you start
- iOS 18 or later for offline English insert on the job. iOS 17 can still hear Spanish; English insert without a network needs 18+.
- Do this once on shop Wi-Fi. Language packs are large. Jobsites often have poor signal.
- Allow Microphone and Speech Recognition when ServiceValet asks.
- Leave Note dictation on English when the tech is speaking English.
3. iPhone Settings — add Spanish the Apple way
ServiceValet cannot add a keyboard for you. The in-app screen More → Note dictation language links each Apple page below. Same links live under More → Help → Spanish → English phone setup.
Step A — Add a Spanish keyboard
- Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
- Tap Add New Keyboard….
- Choose Spanish (Mexico) or Spanish (Spain). Mexico matches most U.S. shops; Spain if that is how the crew speaks.
- Leave English on the list. You are adding a keyboard, not replacing the phone language.
Apple’s guide: Add or change keyboards.
Step B — Turn Enable Dictation on
- Back up one screen to Settings → General → Keyboard.
- Turn Enable Dictation on. Confirm if iOS asks.
Apple’s guide: Dictate text.
Step C — Download Spanish under Dictation Languages
- Still under Keyboard (on some iOS versions: Keyboard → Dictation), open Dictation Languages.
- Spanish only appears after Step A. If the list is empty of Spanish, you skipped the keyboard.
- Turn on Spanish (Mexico or Spain to match the keyboard) and wait for the download on shop Wi-Fi.
On iOS 17–25 the app cannot install this speech pack for you. On iOS 26, More → Note dictation language → Download Spanish speech can pull the pack from inside ServiceValet.
Step D — Download Spanish ↔ English Translate packs
- This is a second Apple download, not the same as Dictation Languages.
- On shop Wi-Fi, install Apple Translate if it is not already on the phone, then download Spanish and English so they work on-device.
- You can also start the download from ServiceValet (next section) on iOS 18+.
Apple’s guide: Translate text in apps.
4. In ServiceValet
- Open More → Note dictation language (Field helpers), or More → Help → Spanish → English phone setup for this page.
- Set Note dictation to Spanish → English. (Leave it on English when the tech is speaking English — that mic stays free.)
- Pick the dialect: United States (
es-US), Mexico (es-MX), or Spain (es-ES). - On iOS 26, tap Download Spanish speech if Speech still shows it is missing.
- On iOS 18+, tap the Translate download on that same screen until Translate packs show installed.
The mode is sticky on this phone. You do not set it per ticket.
5. Dictate a note so English persists
- Open a work order. Go to a narrative field (Problem, progress note, and so on).
- Confirm the chip / mode is Spanish → English. If it is English, you will store English speech, not a translation.
- Tap the in-app mic — not the keyboard mic.
- Speak Spanish. Live text in the chrome may stay Spanish. That is expected.
- Tap Stop (or Stop & insert). Wait for translating. English is what is written into the field.
- If a setup sheet appears, finish the missing pack, then Retry the same utterance. Do not type the Spanish into the field.
- Save the job as usual. When you return the package to the office, the office ticket shows that English.
If translation fails, ServiceValet keeps the Spanish in session chrome only (Copy / Retry). It does not fall back to writing Spanish on the work order.
6. What is stored vs what you see
| Place | Language |
|---|---|
| Live listening chrome, “Original:” line, Copy Spanish | Spanish is allowed here |
| Work-order fields, progress log | English only |
.msworkorder package and PDF | English only |
| Shop office ticket after return | English only |
Audio stays on the phone. Packs download from Apple on shop Wi-Fi. The office does not receive a Spanish column to clean up later.
7. If English does not appear
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dictation Languages has no Spanish | No Spanish keyboard yet, or Language & Region was changed instead | Step A. Do not change Language & Region. |
| Field fills with Spanish | Keyboard mic, or mode still set to English | Use the in-app mic. Set Note dictation to Spanish → English. Use Translate on that field if Spanish already landed from the keyboard. |
| Setup sheet / Retry, field stays empty | Translate pack or speech pack missing | Shop Wi-Fi. Finish Steps C–D and the in-app downloads. Retry. Do not paste Spanish into the ticket. |
| Works on Wi-Fi, fails on the job | Packs never finished downloading | iOS 18+ with both speech and Translate packs installed before leaving the shop. |
Related
- How the shop office works — what the desk reads after the return
- Features — short dictation summary
- Workflow training
- Apple: Add or change keyboards
- Apple: Dictate text
- Apple: Translate text in apps