Multi-language support
Multi-language support works on three levels, from the Sheetward platform down to the data inside your app. The picture below shows what each level covers — and who looks after it.
Built in, in every supported language — nothing for you to maintain
Your app's own text — kept in the App Specification workbook (Excel / Google Sheets / .ods)
Master data in each viewer's language — language columns in the workbook's lookup sheets
Level 1 comes with Sheetward: the workspace, sign-in, Admin console, User Guide, Knowledge Hub and AI support assistant all speak every supported language — you maintain nothing. Levels 2 and 3 belong to the App Owner and live in the App Specification workbook (Excel or Google Sheets) — the same workbook the app is generated from. The app's own text goes in the Translation_ sheet; master-data descriptions are language columns in the List_ sheets.
Form_ sheets stay in English; translations live in the Translation_ sheet and the language columns of your List_ sheets. This holds even when you draft with AI from a German, Japanese or Arabic description: the App Specification comes back in English, with your language added as a translation.How an app gets its languages — two decisions, then the content:
- The workspace admin turns on the workspace's additional languages under Admin console → Languages (English is always on). Say the admin enables German, Japanese and Arabic.
- The App Owner picks the app's languages from those the workspace offers, in the App languages section when creating or changing the app. Picking a language only sets what the app offers — nothing is translated yet. Say this app offers two of the three: German and Japanese.
- The App Owner writes the translations for the chosen languages in the workbook. The
Translation_sheet carries the app name, form and section titles, field labels, validation messages, lookup-table names, dashboard titles and calculated-measure names. Master-data descriptions go in theList_sheets. Upload the revised workbook and the app speaks its new languages.
| Who | Decides or maintains |
|---|---|
| Workspace admin | Turns on the workspace's additional languages under Admin console → Languages. |
| App Owner | Picks which of those languages each app offers, and maintains the translations in the workbook. |
| Each person | Picks their own interface language at sign-in or in Display settings; English is the fallback. |
Each row of the Translation_ sheet names what it translates in Object Type, and which one in Object. Names — fields, forms, sections, lookup tables — match with forgiving case and spacing; messages, titles and the app name match their exact English text:
| Object Type | Description |
|---|---|
| app | The app's own name, as shown on its tile and in its header. |
| form | A form's heading. Object is the form name. |
| section | A section card's title (HEADER, ASSET VALUES). Fill the Form column to limit it to one form; leave it blank to translate that section name in every form. |
| field | A field's label on the form, grid and print sheet. Object is the field name or its English label. This is also the default — a blank Object Type means a field. A misspelt type is still read as a field, but Sheetward warns you when the app is built, so a typo can't silently translate nothing. |
| message | A validation message. Object is the English message text, exactly as written in the Rules_ sheet. |
| list | A lookup table’s display name. The values inside it are translated by _de / _ja / _ar columns on the List_ sheet instead. |
| measure | A calculated measure’s name, wherever it labels a dashboard number. |
| widget | A dashboard widget's title, and the dashboard page title. report and dashboard both work as spellings of the same thing. |
How many additional languages a workspace can turn on depends on its plan and billing cycle: every plan includes one additional language, and billing annually unlocks the plan's full allowance. The Languages meter in the Admin console always shows your workspace's current number.