# Adding Another Language to your XLSForm

**Last updated:**
<a href="https://github.com/kobotoolbox/docs/blob/511ea4cb3c698a4b45e7c2b4efd1af4e356e811f/source/language_xls.md" class="reference">15
Feb 2022</a>

There are two methods to adding multiple languages to your form. You can either
add and manage them directly through the online
[Project Dashboard](language_dashboard.md) or you can add them in an XLSForm and
upload it to Kobo.

Here are detailed instructions on how you can add another language to your form:

-   Create your form in the default language. This should be the language that
    the person responsible for designing the questionnaire is most comfortable
    with. When you are done, or when a portion of the form has been created,
    save it. You'll be returned to the draft form's project dashboard.

-   Export the form to XLS.

-   Open the file in Excel (Google Spreadsheet, Open Office Calc, etc will all
    work) (If you're in Excel it's possible you have to take the file out of
    Protected View first.
    [See here](https://support.office.com/en-us/article/what-is-protected-view-d6f09ac7-e6b9-4495-8e43-2bbcdbcb6653?ocmsassetID=HA010355931&CorrelationId=04b441d5-5c7c-441a-bbac-8f34b3071869&ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US).)
    Your spreadsheet will have three sheets (see the little tabs at the bottom):
    **survey**, **choices**, **settings**. Stay in the **survey** sheet for now.

-   Find the column called `label`. This is where your original question labels
    are stored. Insert another column to the right of label. In the header
    (first row) of this new column, write `label::language (code)`, for example
    `label::Français (fr)` or `label::English (en)`.

<p class="note">You can change the size of your columns, add colors or change the font size, none of these will affect your form.</p>

-   Then, if you have hints in your form, the same needs to apply to the `hint`
    column, for example `hint::Français (fr)` or `hint::English (en)`.

**survey**

| type             | name           | label                          | relevant                  |
| :--------------- | :------------- | :----------------------------- | :------------------------ |
| text             | full_name      | What is your name?             |                           |
| select_one yesno | children_yesno | Do you have any children?      |                           |
| integer          | children_count | How many children do you have? | ${children_yesno} = 'yes' |

-   Now add your translations for every row inside the `label::language (code)`
    column. When you are done, make sure you didn't skip any questions (for
    every field that has text inside the label column there should be text
    inside the `label::language (code)` column). You can find the official
    2-character language codes (subtags)
    [here](https://www.iana.org/assignments/language-subtag-registry/language-subtag-registry).

<p class="note">Tip: Copy-paste the original label column and then make changes to the translations so you don't leave anything blank by accident: It's better to have something showing in the wrong language than not having a blank question in some language. <em>You can repeat this step and add as many languages as you like, each in their separate columns and with a different name inside <code>label::language (code)</code>.</em></p>

**survey**

| type             | name           | label:English (en)             | label::Français (fr)           | relevant                  |
| :--------------- | :------------- | :----------------------------- | :----------------------------- | :------------------------ |
| text             | full_name      | What is your name?             | Quel est votre nom?            |                           |
| select_one yesno | children_yesno | Do you have any children?      | Avez-vous des enfants?         |                           |
| integer          | children_count | How many children do you have? | Combien des enfants avez-vous? | ${children_yesno} = 'yes' |

-   Now switch to the **choices** sheet of your file, if you have one.

-   In the **choices** sheet you have another column called `label`. Repeat
    steps 5 and 6. Make sure that you use the exact same spelling for
    `label::language (code)`. For example, `label::Francais (fr)` and
    `label::Français (fr)` are not identical.

**choices**

| list_name | name | label::English (en) | label::Français (fr) |
| :-------- | :--- | :------------------ | :------------------- |
| yesno     | yes  | Yes                 | Oui                  |
| yesno     | no   | No                  | Non                  |

-   In the **settings** sheet, underneath `form_title` edit the text of your
    form's title to something like "My form (English and French)" so you can
    easily identify it later.

**settings**

| form_title                   |
| :--------------------------- |
| My form (English and French) |

-   Save your file and close Excel.

-   Return to KoboToolbox and click on **Replace with XLS**, then upload your
    updated XLSForm. Choose the file you just finished editing and click **OK**.

-   Open the form you just uploaded and click on **Preview Form**. At the top
    next to **Choose Language** click on the dropdown. It will have a default
    (your original language) as well as the new languages you just added.

## Translating to Tamil, Nepali, Hindi, etc. scripts

When translating to non-Latin scripts, such as Tamil, Nepali, Hindi, etc, please
make sure you do not use a so-called pseudo font. When writing in these
languages make sure you only use the proper Unicode characters. To write proper
Unicode characters you don't have to install any particular fonts. Instead, you
(or your translator) need to set your keyboard to use the respective script
(Tamil, Nepali, etc.) and then write normally. The correct keyboard setting will
produce the actual script letters in Unicode instead of some Latin phonetic
equivalents. (This would also be the same way as writing these languages into an
email, KoboToolbox, or any other Web application.

For help with adding the correct system keyboard,
[check this link](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17424/windows-change-keyboard-layout)
(Windows only).

Pseudo fonts allow writing in these scripts and are commonly used in many
countries, particularly in South Asia. But while they work on the computer that
has a specific font installed, they will not work on any other computer that
doesn't use that particular font. That is because these fonts just disguise
regular Latin characters and symbols and make them appear in a different shape.
For example, when writing "Hello" with the Nepali pseudo font 'Preeti', it will
look like this: हेल्लो. But what is really written there remains the letters H e
l l o. For some people using these fonts which often use phonetic equivalents to
English, may be easier. Another reason they are being used widely is that many
computers used to not have support for these scripts and thus needed pseudo
fonts as a "hack". Either way, Unicode characters are the best way to go - and
the only way for use in KoboToolbox.

## Translating right-to-left scripts

When adding a language that uses right-to-left script it is important to use the
correct language code, however even if the correct code is used, if the first
question, hint, or note is written in a left-to-right script the form will
automatically format the rest of the translation to a left-to-right format.