Languages on the public link and in Collect
Once you approve a translation, it's offered everywhere people answer your survey: on the public link, and in the Collect field app. The same approved languages appear in both.
On the public link
- The survey opens in the default language you chose in its settings.
- If more than one language is approved, respondents see a language button at the top of the survey. They can switch at any time.
- Switching doesn't erase anything. Answers already filled in stay in place.
- Languages that are translated but not yet approved never appear.
In the Collect app
The Collect app has two separate language choices:
| Choice | What it changes | Where |
|---|---|---|
| App language | The app's own buttons and messages (Arabic or English) | The switch at the top of the app |
| Survey language | The language the questions are shown in | Survey language, on the Start new form tab |
This lets a collector use the app in Arabic while interviewing someone in French, for example.
What collectors should know:
- Survey language appears only when the survey has more than one approved language.
- Changing it needs a connection, because the new language is downloaded. Choose the language before going to an area without signal.
- The choice is remembered for that collector.
- Answers already started keep the language they were filled in. Only newly opened forms use the new language.
- If you approve a new language or change the default while collectors are in the field, their devices pick it up the next time they connect.
Tip If your field team interviews speakers of different languages, approve every language they need before they leave, so each collector can switch on the spot.
How answers are saved
Whatever language a respondent reads, the answer is saved in the survey's original language. So:
- all your results appear in one language,
- answers from different languages can be counted and compared together,
- charts and exports don't mix languages.