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Jump to
- Use Case Information
- Settings & Configuration
- Translations Tab Overview
- Adding & Managing Custom Languages
- Enabling the Language Selector
- Content Authoring & Language Variants
- Ecommerce Item Creation & Language Variants
- Learner Experience Setup & View
- Custom Content Fields & Filtering
- Gamification
- Learner View
- Managing Learner Preferences
- Configuring Multilingual Capabilities in Panorama
- Native Multilingual Limitations
Thought Industries offers a native multilingual package to help you localize your platform and extend your audience.
Use Case Information
This feature allows you to create content in multiple languages and offer a language selector to the learner. One advantage of using our native multilingual capabilities is flexibility on non-text based content like videos or attached resources.
When configured you can control the following:
Localize your learning site
- Learners can choose their preferred language from a dropdown
- Have variants for content items to accommodate many languages
- Catalog filters to preferred language automatically
Native Multilingual Capabilities are a premium feature and behind a feature flag.
Navigate to Control Panel (Account > Control Panel) in your instance to request to have this feature enabled on your site.
Settings & Configuration
Translations Tab Overview
Translations is where all native strings of text are managed. There are platform translations (this includes language for navigation inside of a course or while using ecommerce to check out, for example) and email translations (this includes strings sent through default emails like invites or order confirmations). There are 7 language tabs present by default - each tab contains all native strings that can be localized.
Path: Translations
Note
Not all native strings are translated by default. For any language you'd like to offer, we recommend navigating to the language's tab in Translations and ensuring that all strings are translated where necessary.
Tip
Are your translations not flowing through? For any language you'd like to use, make sure to save the Translations tabs, platform and email, at least once. This ensures these translations will flow across the main site and panoramas when chosen as the default language.
Adding & Managing Custom Languages
If you'd like to offer a language you don't see a Translations tab for, no problem! You can add a custom language to Translations.
Adding a Custom Language
- In the admin interface, navigate to the Translations tab.
- Click Add a Language in the top right corner of the page.
- Enter a Language Key.
- The Language Key is generally an abbreviation of the language's name. Example: En
- After creation, the Language Key can be found in the URL while viewing that language's tab.
- Because the Language Key is used to make the URL unique when viewing the Translations tab for that language, we recommend avoiding the use of special characters.
- Enter a Language Display Name.
- Click Save Custom Language.
Managing a Custom Language
- Upon creation, all translatable strings found in the school’s default language are added to the new custom language.
- For bulk updates to strings, you can export platform and email translations to a JSON file, make changes, and then import the file with the updates. Bulk updates can be performed to default or custom languages.
Deleting a custom language
- Go to Platform or Email Translations.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom.
- Click 'Delete Language' on the left.
Path: Translations
Note
We currently do not support right to left languages.
Enabling the Language Selector
Once you've confirmed that the native multilingual capabilities feature flag is enabled in your instance, you will be able to enable a language selector for learners to be able to choose a language.
Path: Settings > Setup > Languages
Tip
Enabling this selector is turning on the option for learners to choose a language on the site so we recommend first translating any built in or custom language options in the Translations area of the platform.
Other Settings
Once you've enabled the language selector for learners, a few other settings will appear.
- Languages to Appear in Selector: Choose which languages learners will have the option to switch to in the selector.
- Language Selector Display: Choose how you would like the selector to look from three styles.
- Catalog Filter: Automatically filter catalog and widgets to learner's selected language. When checked, learners will only see content released in their selected language on the catalog. For example, if a learner uses the selector to switch from English to Spanish, the catalog widget will update to only show released courses with Spanish as the selected language variant.
Path: Settings > Setup > Languages
Content Authoring & Language Variants
Creating content items in different languages requires creation of separate content items for each language you'd like to offer. For example, if you wanted to offer a course in English, Spanish, and Chinese, you will create three courses - one in each language.
Tip
Instead of using a web crawler for auto translations, using language variants in separate content items allows for flexibility on non-text based content like videos or attached resources.
Creating Content in a New Language
To create content in a different language, you will be creating content variants. When creating from scratch, simply select the language from the drop down menu when creating content.
Updating the Content's Language
To change the language in the content’s settings:
- Go to Content > Manage Content > Click on Content Title.
- Then go to the Design Step and click Edit Catalog Settings.
- Find the Language Dropdown and choose the desired language.
- Click Save.
You may also copy an existing content item, if you wish to use it as a template, and then alter the language variant.
Note
Changing the language variant simply affects how this content item is categorized for the learner. This native feature does not include an auto machine translator meaning any translations have to be done manually.
Content Management Interface for Languages
Any content created in a different language other than the instance’s default language will display a small globe icon next to the content title as an identifier. Upon hover, this will reveal the authored language.
The Content Management Interface can be filtered to show only the content authored in a specific language by selecting the language from the page's filters.
Note
It is important to designate the correct language variant as this will dictate how it filters into a catalog when a site has multilingual capabilities enabled and set-up.
Ecommerce Item Creation & Language Variants
To create Ecommerce items in a different language, navigate from the homepage to Ecommerce > Ecommerce Items. Then create a new Ecommerce item, and choose the item’s language in the field in that ecommerce item’s settings. You can also edit the ecommerce item's language later.
Any items created in a different language other than the instance’s default language, will display in the item list with a small globe icon. Upon hover, this will reveal the item’s language.
Learner Experience Setup and View
Custom Content Fields & Filtering
If administrators wish to use custom content fields for multilingual sites, our recommendation is to author custom categories & fields in each language made available to learners.
Authoring Variants for Custom Content Fields:
- In the admin interface, navigate to the Settings > Content > Organization & Display.
- Select Add Custom Content Field.
- Author a unique field for each language & configure settings accordingly.
NOTE: You will not be required to select a language variant for content fields.
Path: Settings > Content > Organization & Display
Adding Custom Content Fields to Content:
Once a custom content field has been created in the language desired, you may attach it to matching content in the appropriate language variant.
- Navigate to Content > Manage Content > Click on Content Title > Design Step > Edit Catalog Settings.
- Select a Custom Field to add.
- Next add a value.
- Click Save.
Path: Content > Manage Content > Content Title > Design Step > Edit Catalog Settings
Filtering:
When catalog settings are configured to filter based on a learner’s language preference of choice, only content fields associated with content authored in that language variant will display. If auto-filtering of the catalog is not configured, learners will see all content fields along with all content available to them regardless of language preference.
Enabling Auto-filtering of the Catalog based on language preference:
- Go to Settings > Setup > Languages.
- Enable Automatically filter catalog and widgets to learner's selected language.
Path: Settings > Setup > Languages
Tip
Once Custom Content Fields are attached to content in various languages, the custom fields and values act as filters on the catalog widget. If auto-filtering is enabled, the Custom Content Field filters will update based on results from the auto filter.
For example, if as a learner, my selected language is Spanish, the results in the Catalog widget will automatically update to only content created with the Spanish variant. Likewise, the filters based on Custom Content Fields will only display fields and values attached to the Spanish content.
Gamification
If administrators wish to configure language variants for award types on multilingual sites, our recommendation is to author award options in each language.
Authoring Variants for Awards:
- In the administrative interface, navigate to Settings > Gamification > Awards.
- Select Add Award Type.
- Author a unique award in the language of choice.
- Once an award type has been configured, it will be available for you to select when configuring award qualifications, certificates, and credit claiming functionality.
Path: Settings > Gamification > Awards
Authoring Variants for Badges:
- In the administrative interface, navigate to Settings > Gamification > Badges.
- Create a label for your badge in the language of choice.
- Select the appropriate award type. When creating the award type (steps above), you would simply create it in the language you would like to see.
- Configure all settings as needed.
Path: Settings > Gamification > Badges
Note
There is no currently way to distinguish awards of the same type that are authored in multiple languages. They are viewed as unique award types and should be kept in mind when offering learners content in multiple languages.
Learner View
Language Selector:
Auto Filter on Catalog Widget:
Once a learner has selected their language preference, and if the catalog filter setting is enabled, learners will see only content authored in their preferred language in the catalog and content widgets.
Catalog Filter Not Enabled:
If the catalog filter setting is not enabled, learners will see all available content regardless of language preference. Learners will also be able to filter content by language using the Language filter on the left hand side of the catalog widget.
Managing Learner Preferences
There are several ways to adjust the learner's language preferences. Please note that this will affect the learner's experience within the platform UI. This does not affect the email communications sent to learners. The language setting for email communications respects the default language for the main site or the panorama.
Language Selector - Learner Facing:
Learners can always update their preferred language by choosing another language from the selector.
Admin Interface:
Update the learner's preferred language manually by navigating to the user's profile and updating the Preferred Language field. Don't forget to save!
Bulk Import:
Use the Language Key to update learners' preferred language in bulk. The Column/Field to update is language. The Language Key can be found in the unique URL for each Language Translation tab.
SAML & JWT SSO:
Use the Language Key in the language field to update preferred languages via SSO.
API Create & Update User Endpoint:
Use the Language Key in the "language" field to update preferred languages via API.
Configuring Multilingual Capabilities in Panorama
Default roles with either Creating Clients or Editing and Deleting Clients permissions can enable a Language Selector specific to the client's learners. The catalog filter setting can also be enabled and used to automatically filter the catalog widget down to the learner’s selected language.
Tip
Are your translations not flowing through? For any language you'd like to use, make sure to save the Translations tabs, platform and email, at least once. This ensures these translations will flow across the main site and panoramas when chosen as the default language.
Note
If localization is enabled on your instance and you would like it to be available to learners in a Client, you need to enable the language selector in each individual Client. The toggle for the Language Selector enabled in general site settings will only affect learners outside of Clients.
Tip
If the Language Selector is enabled in a panorama, admins/managers may preview the learner dashboard and select a language from the language selector. This will show the dashboard as a learner would see it if they select a language. If the auto filter setting is enabled, after selecting a language, only content authored in that language will display in the catalog and content widgets.
Upon clicking Return to Management to exit the learner dashboard preview, the admin interface will return to the default site language.
Native Multilingual Limitations
Layouts & Pages
Currently there is no way to configure language variants of pages and layouts. There is also not an option to have image, video or custom text string variants at the object level. Due to this limitation, the following widgets are both non-translatable or filterable by language preference when using native multilingual functionality:
- Communities
- Recommended Content (Assessment & Engine)
- About Blocks
- Video Widget
- Column Widgets
- Featured Links
- Links List
- Contact Block
- Testimonials
- Title & Subtitles
- Support Questions
Settings
The following settings and custom strings configured under Settings > Setup are non-translatable and can only be displayed in on language per instance:
- Company Name & Copyright Name
- External Terms URL
- Terms of Service
- Support Text
- FAQ Question Text
- FAQ Answer Text
- FAQ Section Text
Communications
Currently there is no way to configure language variants of all functionality under Communications within the platform. These features include:
- Onboarding Survey
- Recommendation Assessment
- Learner Notifications