The Multi-Language Management Tool (MLM) allows project designers to configure a project with multiple available languages without the need to create multiple instruments for each additional language. Designers would choose a language selection method which respondents can use to dynamically change the language of a single survey interface, or it would be forced through the use of the @LANGUAGE- action tags.
Jump to:
- Available Languages
- Accessing the MLM
- Configuring the MLM
- Setting a Base Language
- Adding New Languages
- Translations
Available Languages
There are currently four languages available on the CU Anschutz REDCap application.
- English
- Spanish (Español)
- German (Deutsch)
- Japanese (日本語)
If you do not see an option for the language you will need above, please contact us by submitting a ticket.
Accessing the MLM
You can find the MLM on the left-hand panel of your project, under "Applications".
When first opening the MLM, the page will display several steps that we will follow in this section of the article. Please read through these instructions closely.
Configuring the MLM
Setting a Base Language
Start off by selecting "+ Add a new language".
First, configure the language which will be the base language. In this example, I will be using English as my base language.
In the pop-up window, select "from available system languages" and locate your base language. Then, select to continue.
The pop-up window will now display new selections. In Language ID, specify a unique code for this base language. If you will be using a language preference field, keep in mind that the raw values in that language preference field will need to match the language ID of your languages. Many teams choose to use the default ID provided automatically. In this case, the default is "en-US". Similarly, the labels corresponding to your raw values in your language preference field should match the Language Display Name.
If you will be using a language preference field, and you want your languages to appear in a particular order, you can specify another name to assist with that sorting.
Confirm your settings by selecting "+ Add Language", which will close the current pop-up window.
Finally, set the base language to active and select to "Save Changes". This button will appear yellow when you have made changes to your MLM settings that require saving.
Adding New Languages
Once again, select the "+ Add a new language" button on the MLM page.
I will be setting up Spanish (Español) as my additional language.
Complete the steps as we did when setting up the base language, selecting the new language instead.
Part 1
Part 2
When you return to the MLM page, set your language to "Active" and "Save Changes".
Translations
Use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate to and translate various project elements.
Forms/Surveys
When navigating to new tabs to translate your project elements, you will be routed to your default language. On this page, you will see a list of the instruments in your project along with toggle buttons labeled "Data Entry" and, if you have surveys enabled in your project, "Survey". The "Survey" toggle button will only be available for forms that have already been enabled as surveys. Your surveys and data entry forms will not be automatically activated in your default language.
Now, select the new language that you have added.
Once you have made that selection, you will have "Translate" options available.
Choose an instrument that you would like to translate and toggle the Data Entry and/or Survey buttons to "on". Select "Translate".
On this page, you will see a checkbox list of the fields in the instrument, along with a text box labeled "Field label translation:". The checkbox can be used to mark the translation as completed in the case where a field may not need to be translated (ex: record_id may not need translated on most projects).
The "Field label translation:" text box is where you will translate the default text.
These changes will still need to be saved by the system, so press the "Save Changes" button frequently to avoid losing your work. If there are any unsaved MLM changes on the project, the "Save Changes" button will be yellow.
Alerts
The alerts page will generate a list of your Alerts along with the subject and body text to be translated. If you are not familiar with Alerts & Notifications, you can read more about them in the Alerts & Notifications article. You can follow the same steps as discussed in the Forms/Surveys section to create translations of your alert text.
Misc
The miscellaneous tab includes other project elements that may or may not be enabled in your project. If none of the miscellaneous project elements are enabled in your project, then you will not see anything listed in this section. An example of a project element that may be translatable in this section is missing data codes.
User Interface
This is where you can modify the translations of various user interface items, such as tool tips, page navigation buttons, and system messages. These elements are bookmarked into categories for easier navigation.
By default, you will be placed on the "Common" tab. However, you can use the bookmarks at the top of the User Interface section to navigate to specific project elements you may want to translate.
Many of the common fields are already translated by selecting an available system language, but you can modify these if they do not fit your needs.
Settings
The settings section of the MLM will offer a few options for system-level selections about how untranslated text and default displayed language is displayed.
At the bottom of this page, you will see "Translation Snapshots". This button allows you to take a record of the MLM configuration at that point in time. It is a static snapshot that can be restored at a later date. Before making extensive changes to your MLM configuration, please consider taking a snapshot of your settings so that you can attempt to revert if needed.
Please note the disclaimer by Vanderbilt REDCap, "Note that restoring this way will be based on a best effort scheme, as the underlying project structure may have changed since the snapshot was created."
Next Up
Learn to implement these translations through designated language fields and action tags in Multi-Language Management Tool (MLM) - Implementing Language Selection.