rtSurvey provides robust multi-language support, allowing you to create surveys in multiple languages. This feature is crucial for conducting research across diverse linguistic populations or in multilingual environments.

Setting Up Multi-Language Surveys

To create a multi-language survey in rtSurvey, you need to add language-specific columns to your XLSForm. Here’s how:

  1. Label Translations: Add columns for each language using the format label::Language (code).
  2. Hint Translations: Use hint::Language (code) for translating hints.
  3. Media File Translations: For language-specific media, use media::Language (code).

Example:

  | type    | name | label::English (en) | label::Español (es) | hint::English (en) | hint::Español (es) |
|---------|------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
| integer | age  | How old are you?    | ¿Cuántos años tienes?| Enter your age      | Ingrese su edad     |

Language Codes

It’s recommended to use the official 2-character language codes (subtags) after the language name. This facilitates matching form language with user interface language. You can find the official codes here.

Setting a Default Language

To set a default language for data collection, use the settings worksheet in your XLSForm:

  | form_id   | version | default_language |
|-----------|---------|-------------------|
| test_form | 101     | French (fr)       |

rtSurvey-Specific Features

Dynamic Language Switching

rtSurvey allows users to switch languages dynamically during data collection:

  • In the web interface, use the language dropdown in the top navigation bar.
  • In the mobile app, access language options through the settings menu.

Language-Specific Validation Messages

rtSurvey extends multi-language support to validation messages:

  | type    | name | constraint | constraint_message::English (en) | constraint_message::Español (es) |
|---------|------|------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| integer | age  | . <= 150   | Age must be 150 or less          | La edad debe ser 150 o menos     |

RTL Language Support

For right-to-left (RTL) languages like Arabic or Hebrew, rtSurvey automatically adjusts the layout:

  | type | name | label::English (en) | label::Arabic (ar) |
|------|------|---------------------|---------------------|
| text | name | Your name           | اسمك                |

Language-Specific Appearance

rtSurvey allows you to specify different appearances for different languages:

  | type | name | label::English (en) | label::Chinese (zh) | appearance::English (en) | appearance::Chinese (zh) |
|------|------|---------------------|---------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
| text | address | Address          | 地址                 | multiline                | textarea                  |

Best Practices for Multi-Language Surveys

  1. Consistent Naming: Use consistent language codes across your form.
  2. Professional Translation: Employ professional translators familiar with the survey context.
  3. Context Notes: Provide context notes for translators to ensure accurate translations.
  4. Testing: Test your form in all languages before deployment.
  5. Unicode Support: Ensure your data collection devices support Unicode for non-Latin scripts.
  6. Language-Specific Media: Use culturally appropriate images or audio for each language.
  7. Avoid Text in Images: If using images with text, create separate images for each language.

Handling Special Cases

Mixed Language Responses

rtSurvey allows respondents to input text in any script, regardless of the selected form language. This is useful for capturing names or addresses in their original script.

Language-Specific Question Types

Some question types may be more appropriate for certain languages. rtSurvey allows you to use different question types for different languages:

  | type::English (en) | type::Japanese (ja) | name | label::English (en) | label::Japanese (ja) |
|--------------------|---------------------|------|---------------------|----------------------|
| text               | select_one kanji    | name | Enter your name     | 名前を選んでください    |

Exporting Multi-Language Data

When exporting data from rtSurvey:

  • Choose to export in a specific language or include all language versions.
  • Language metadata is included in the export, indicating which language was used for each response.

Mobile App Considerations

  • The rtSurvey mobile app supports offline language switching.
  • Ensure all required language files are downloaded before going offline.

Known Limitations

  • Some advanced features may not be available in all languages.
  • Extremely long translations may affect layout on smaller screens.

By leveraging rtSurvey’s multi-language capabilities, you can create inclusive, accessible surveys that reach diverse populations and provide high-quality, linguistically accurate data.

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