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How to Create Multi-Language Surveys
Checkbox’s multi-language feature offers the ability to create multiple translations for a single survey so that your respondents can choose their preferred language (or you can select it for them). Creating all your translations in a single survey also has the added benefit of allowing aggregate reporting across all versions, versus having to combine the results of separate surveys.
This document will guide you through building and sharing a multilingual survey.
NOTE: Multi-language surveys are not available in our Basic plan. If you’d like to upgrade in order to offer multi-language surveys, please email sales@checkbox.com.
Setting Up Your Survey for Translation
1. Create Your Survey in the Default Language
Before you add translations, you will first want to create your survey in English, or whatever your default language is. For more details on creating your survey, see our Quick Start Guide.
2. Enable Your Additional languages
Click Settings -> Language/Translation and select the languages that you would like to offer your survey in. Click Save.
*Note that Checkbox does not translate your survey questions into other languages for you – you will need to follow the steps below to add your translations. We know that some survey tools use the Google Translate or similar API to provide translations automatically, but Checkbox does not rely on these services due to the potential for mistranslation.
3. Select How You’d Like Respondents to Choose/Receive Their Language
- Ask User: This option allows respondents to choose their preferred language from a drop-down at the start of the survey. This option is best if you don’t know your respondents’ preferred language and want to give them the choice.
- Query String: This option allows you to add a query string to the end of your survey URL in order to set your survey’s language for your respondents. This option is best if you know your respondents’ preferred language or if you want to give your respondents multiple links to choose from, so they can enter right into the survey.
- Browser Detection: This option allows you to use the respondent’s default browser language as the language for the survey. If the respondent’s browser language cannot be detected, they will be shown a drop-down list to choose their language instead.
Translate Your Survey Using Export/Import (recommended method)
Once you have enabled your languages in the Settings area, you will need to provide the translations for each language of your survey questions and answers. Using the Export/Import method is generally the fastest, but for shorter surveys you may prefer to translate your survey manually (see next section below)
1. Under Settings -> Language/Translation click the Export Texts button
2. Translate the Exported File
When you click Export Texts, Checkbox will export a file in JSON format that includes all your survey text (questions, answer options and validation text) in your default language and placeholder text for each enabled language. You can replace this placeholder text with translations or send it to a translation service (JSON is a standard file format accepted by most major translation services).
3. Import Your Translation
Once you have added your translations or received the translated JSON file back from your translator, simply click the Import Texts button to import your translations into your survey.
Translate Your Survey Manually (alternate method)
Translating your survey manually means that you will enter your translations through the Checkbox user interface, much like you did when you created your survey in the default language. This method may be preferable to or faster than using the Export/Import method if your survey is very short.
1. Use the language toggle to select the language you want to add a translation for
When more than one language is added to a survey, a language drop-down menu appears at the top of your survey’s Edit tab. Use this language drop-down to select the language you wish to create translations for.
2. Delete the placeholder text and enter the translated text
After selecting a language, you will see a language code for each survey item in the Question Text, Subtext, and Answer Choice fields; it will look something like [xx-XX]. Delete the language code (this is here just as a reminder that you haven’t added a translation yet) and replace it with the translated text for your item’s question, subtext and answer choice text.
3. Repeat Step 2 for all survey items.
Continue translating all survey items, ensuring that all placeholder language codes have been deleted. Make sure you test your survey to ensure that it appears and works as expected.
4. Translate Survey Button and Message Text
In addition to translating your survey questions and answers, you may also want to provide translations for the text on the survey buttons and the survey’s validation and error messages. This can be found under Settings -> Customize Text; use the language dropdown to select the appropriate language to add your translations.
Translating Application-Level Text
In addition to text that can be translated at the survey level, some text in Checkbox can be customized and translated at the application level, meaning anything you customize or translate will apply to all surveys in your account. To modify this text, follow these steps:
1. Click Account Settings -> Application Text.
*Note: Only System Administrators have access to change or translate application-level text. If you do not see this option in your account, please contact your Checkbox Administrator.
2. Translate Validation Text
Use the language dropdown to select the language you want to add translations for, and then replace the English text with the translated text. Make sure you delete any placeholder language codes.
*Note: Translations for French-Canadian are provided by Checkbox. Translations for all other languages will need to be provided by the customer.
3. Translate Survey Text
Use the language dropdown to select the language you want to add translations for, and then replace the English survey text with the translated text. Make sure you delete any placeholder language codes.
*Note: Translations for French-Canadian are provided by Checkbox. Translations for all other languages will need to be provided by the customer.
Viewing Responses and Reports for Multi-Language Surveys
Checkbox uses English as its default language. Unless English is removed as a language option for the survey, the labels in reports and exports for multi-language responses will appear in English (regardless of the language the survey was taken in).