WhatsApp error 132005 (translated text too long): find the language version and the value that overflow

WhatsApp error 132005 fails a template send because the text is too long for the language you asked for. Meta's error codes page lists it as "Translated text is too long" with the solution: "Check the WhatsApp Manager to verify that your template has been translated." That short advice hides two different causes, one about the template's language versions and one about the values you put into it. Most of the time it is the second, so this page covers both.

How template languages work

A message template is a name plus one or more language versions. order_shipped in en and order_shipped in hi share a name but are reviewed, stored and sent as separate texts. When you send, the language.code in your request decides which version Meta fills in. Two consequences:

• The Hindi or Tamil version is often longer than the English one, so values that fit in English may not fit in the translation.
• If you meant to send the Hindi version but its translation is missing, still in review or different from what you expect, the result is not what you planned. Meta's first suggestion is to confirm the translation exists in WhatsApp Manager for exactly that language code.

The limits that matter

Meta's template components reference sets these limits when a template is created:

When you send, your variable values are placed into that text. A body written at 900 characters, with three variables, leaves little room: three 60-character values can push it past the limit. A text header with a variable is even tighter, because the whole header, after filling, has to fit in 60 characters. Count characters, not bytes, and remember that Devanagari vowel signs and conjuncts count as characters too, so Hindi text that looks short on screen can be longer than you expect.

Causes in practice

• Long product names in a variable. A catalogue export puts "Handcrafted Jaipur Blue Pottery Ceramic Dinner Set, 18 pieces, Indigo and White" into {{2}}.
• Addresses and notes. A delivery address or a customer's note copied straight into a variable.
• Header variables. A customer name plus an order number in a 60-character header.
• The translated version is longer. The hi body was written with more words than the en one, and the same values no longer fit.
• The wrong language code. Your code sends hi while the version you checked was en, or the reverse.

How to fix it

1. Note the template name and the exact language.code from the failed request.
2. Open WhatsApp Manager → Message templates, find the template and open that language version. Confirm it exists and is approved, and read its actual text.
3. Rebuild the message with your values and count the characters of each component (header, body, footer, buttons) after filling.
4. Find the component that overflows. Usually it is the body with one oversized value, or a text header.
5. Shorten the value, not the meaning. Truncate product names at a word boundary, use a short order reference instead of a full address, or link to details with a URL button.
6. If the template itself is too long, create a shorter version for that language and submit it for review. Approved templates can be edited, but an edit goes back through review.

A small, illustrative length check before sending:

const LIMITS = { header: 60, body: 1024, footer: 60 };

function fill(text: string, values: string[]) {
  return text.replace(/\{\{(\d+)\}\}/g, (_, n) => values[Number(n) - 1] ?? '');
}

function tooLong(part: keyof typeof LIMITS, text: string, values: string[]) {
  return [...fill(text, values)].length > LIMITS[part];
}

What the error looks like

Values, title and trace ID illustrative:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "(#132005) Translated text too long",
    "type": "OAuthException",
    "code": 132005,
    "error_data": {
      "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
      "details": "Translated text is too long."
    },
    "fbtrace_id": "AqN4sWb8cLx1TkM6vRp2zEf"
  }
}

A worked example

Meera runs a Jaipur pottery shop and sends a Hindi order confirmation, order_confirmed in hi, with the customer's name in {{1}} and the item list in {{2}}. Most orders go through. Wedding-season bulk orders of six or seven items fail with 132005, while the same orders in English do not.

Her developer checks WhatsApp Manager: the Hindi body is about 300 characters longer than the English one, because it explains the return policy in full. With seven product names in {{2}}, the Hindi body goes over 1,024 characters. He changes {{2}} to "7 items, ₹18,450" (illustrative) and moves the item list to a link with the order details. Every Hindi confirmation now goes through.

Preventing 132005

• Write templates with room to spare. Keep bodies well under 1,024 characters when they include variables.
• Cap every variable source. Product names, addresses and notes should be shortened before they reach the template.
• Test the longest realistic values in every language version, not just English.
• Keep headers simple: one short variable at most.
• Use links for long detail. A URL button to an order page holds more than any variable.

How Broadchat handles 132005

In Broadchat, templates and their languages are listed under CRM → WhatsApp Templates, and Sync Templates pulls the current versions from Meta, so the language used for a send is taken from the synced template rather than typed by hand. Broadchat does not shorten your variable values for you. A message that fails with 132005 shows Meta's message as the failure reason, and a template that fails at Meta is not charged to the channel wallet. Fix the values or the template, then use Retarget on the campaign's Failed recipients.

For template structure, read the guide to WhatsApp message templates and how to send a template message through the API. Every other code is in the WhatsApp API error codes cheat-sheet. Agencies writing multilingual templates for clients can offer them under their own brand through the white-label program.