Using the NextSteps Template Library: AI Translation and Quick Start Journeys
Expanded Article: Using the NextSteps Template Library: AI Translation and Quick Start Journeys
The NextSteps template library is the best way to start creating powerful, engaging journeys. It's filled with pre-designed journeys for discipleship, evangelism, prayer, and invitations that you can use immediately or customize to fit your ministry's unique goals .
To make this process even faster, we've introduced two new features:
AI-Powered Translation: Instantly translate an entire template when you add it to your team.
"Quick Start" Wizards: A guided setup for specific templates (like event invitations) that lets you create and share a journey in minutes, without needing the full journey builder.
This guide will walk you through exploring the library and using both of these new features.
Part 1: Exploring the NextSteps Template Library
Before you start, it's helpful to know how to find the perfect template.
Accessing the Library: You can find the template library from your NextSteps dashboard by clicking on "Templates" in the left-hand navigation bar or by clicking the "See all templates" button.
Finding a Template: You can browse the entire catalog or use the powerful sorting and filtering tools at the top of the page. You can search by:
Language
Topics (e.g., "Prayer," "Discipleship")
Felt Needs (e.g., "Anxiety," "Purpose")
Collections (e.g., The Lumo Project, Bible Project, Practicing the Way)
Audience, Genre, or Holidays
Previewing a Template: When you click on a template, you can see its title, a brief description, the number of cards and videos it contains, and a preview of each card. To see it in action, just click the "Preview" button to sample the live journey before you commit.
Part 2: Standard Templates & the AI Translation Feature
When you find a template you want to use, you can now translate it on the fly.
Select "Use this Template": When you're ready, click the "Use this template" button.
Add to Team & Translate: A pop-up window labeled "Add Journey to Team" will appear.
Select Team: First, choose the team you want to add this journey to from the "Select Team" dropdown menu.
Toggle Translation: To automatically translate the entire journey, click the "Translation" toggle switch.
Choose Language: A new language dropdown will appear. Search for and select your desired language (e.g., "Vietnamese").
Add Journey: Click the "Add" button.
NextSteps will copy the template to your team and use AI to translate all text blocks into your selected language. This may take a few moments. Once complete, the journey will open in the journey builder, ready for you to review and edit.
Best Practices for AI Translation
Always Review: AI translation is a powerful starting point, but it is not perfect. Always have a native or fluent speaker review the translated text for accuracy, correct tone, and ministry context.
Contextualize: The AI provides a literal translation. You may need to further adapt the text to fit your audience's specific cultural nuances, values, and experiences.
RTL Language Support: Remember that selecting a Right-to-Left (RTL) language, such as Arabic, Hebrew, or Urdu, will do more than just translate the text. It will also automatically adjust the entire journey interface to display content correctly from right to left, which is essential for a good user experience.
Part 3: "Quick Start" Journey Wizard
Some templates, often marked as "Quick Start" (like the "Christmas Eve Service" template), use a guided setup wizard for even faster creation. This wizard allows you to customize and share a journey without ever having to open the main journey builder.
Here is thestep-by-step process:
Select a "Quick Start" Template: From the template library, click "Use this template" on a Quick Start journey.
Step 1: Get Started: The wizard will open. First, select your preferred Language and the Team you want to add the journey to. Click "Next."
Step 2: Customize Your Content: The next screen will prompt you to fill in the key details for your journey by filling out the blue fields. This information will automatically customize the content. You may be asked for:
The name of your event (e.g., "The Power of Christmas").
A description of the service or event.
Event details like times (9 AM and 11 AM) and address (100 South St.).
Contact methods, like WhatsApp.
Information you want to collect, such as Name and Email.
Tip: If you want to exit the wizard and use the full builder, click the "Edit Manually" link at the top.
Step 3: It's Ready! After you fill in your information and click "Next," your journey will be instantly created. You will land on a final confirmation screen. From here, you have three options:
Preview in New Tab: Instantly see what your new journey looks like from a user's perspective.
Share: Click this to get the URL or QR code to share your journey immediately.
Keep Editing: Select this to open the journey in the main NextSteps journey builder. This allows you to make more advanced customizations, like changing background images/videos, adding or deleting cards, or modifying the design.
Important: After Translating, Always Verify Your Journey Language Setting
Using the AI Translation feature translates the text on the cards, but it may not automatically change the journey's internal Language Setting.
After your new journey is created, you must manually check this:
Click the journey menu (three dots) and select "Edit Details". 2. Find the "Language" dropdown.
Manually select the language you translated to (e.g., "Arabic," "Hebrew," "Vietnamese").
This step is critical for Right-to-Left (RTL) languages, as it tells the interface to adjust its layout for correct RTL display.
Part 4: Translating an Existing NextSteps Journey
You can also use the AI Translation feature on any journey you have already created or added to your team. This will create a new, translated copy of your journey.
Go to Your Dashboard: Navigate to your "Active" journeys list on the NextSteps dashboard.
Find Your Journey: Locate the journey you wish to translate.
Open the Menu: Click the three-dot menu icon on the journey card.
Select "Translate": Choose "Translate" from the dropdown menu.
Choose Language: A pop-up will appear. Select the language you want to translate to.
Translate Journey: Click the button to begin.
NextSteps will duplicate your journey, translate the text on all cards, and add the new version to your dashboard (often with "copy" in the title or with the new language name). Your original journey will not be changed .
Important: Verify the Language Setting on Your New Copy
Just like with a new template, you must manually update the internal Language Setting on the new journey copy.
Find the newly created journey copy on your dashboard.
Click its menu (three dots) and select "Edit Details". 3. Find the "Language" dropdown and set it to the new language. 4. This is essential for RTL languages to display correctly.
Best Practices for Quick Start
When to Use: The Quick Start wizard is ideal for users who need to launch a journey for a specific event (like an invitation) as fast as possible and do not need to make advanced design changes.
Have Info Ready: To make the process seamless, have your event title, description, date/time, address, and any contact links (like WhatsApp or a website) ready before you begin.
Use "Keep Editing" for More Control: The "Keep Editing" or "Edit Manually" options are your gateway to the full power of NextSteps. Use them if you want to add your own personal video, change the color scheme, or add more cards to the journey.
Additional Resources
For more detailed information and support, consider exploring these resources:
