Multi-language support
Sheetward supports multiple languages on three levels — from the platform itself down to your app's data. The picture below shows what each level covers and who maintains it.
Built in, in every supported language — nothing to maintain
Your app's own text — maintained in the application specification workbook (Excel / Google Sheet)
Master data in each viewer's language — language columns in the workbook's lookup sheets
Level 1 ships with Sheetward: the workspace interface, sign-in, Admin console, User Guide, Knowledge Hub and AI support assistant are available in every supported language — nothing to maintain. Levels 2 and 3 are owned by the App Owner and live in the application specification workbook (Excel or Google Sheet) — the same workbook that defines the app: the app's text in the Translation_ sheet, master-data descriptions as language columns in the List_ sheets.
Form_ sheets stay English; the translations live in the Translation_ sheet and your List_ language columns. That holds even when you draft with AI from a German, Japanese or Arabic description: the specification comes back in English, with your language added as a translation.How an app gets its additional languages — two decisions, then content:
- The workspace admin chooses the workspace's additional languages under Admin console → Languages (English is always on). Example: the admin turns on three additional languages — German, Japanese and Arabic.
- The App Owner chooses the app's languages from those the workspace offers, in the App languages section when creating or changing the app. Choosing a language sets what the app offers — it does not translate anything. Example: this app offers two of the three — German and Japanese.
- The App Owner maintains the content 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 live in theList_sheets — and uploads the revised workbook. The app now speaks its new languages.
Each row of the Translation_ sheet says what it translates in its Object Type cell, and names the thing in Object — matched against the English text, so case and spacing are forgiving:
| Object Type | Description |
|---|---|
| app | The app's own name, as shown on the App tile and in its header. |
| form | A form heading. Object is the form name. |
| section | A section card's title (HEADER, ASSET VALUES). Fill the Form column to scope 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 — an Object Type the parser doesn't recognise is treated as a field. |
| 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 are accepted spellings of the same thing. |
How many additional languages a workspace may enable 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.