Who can use this feature?
Available on:
All Culture Amp subscriptions that include Engagement
Make it easy for your global teams to take an Engagement survey in the language they’re most comfortable with.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
Enable multiple languages for your Engagement survey
Add or update translations manually or using a bulk file
Preview the participant experience in different languages
Understand best practices, tips, and common pitfalls
What Are Multilingual Surveys?
The Multilingual Engagement Survey lets you run a single survey in multiple languages — no need to build separate surveys for each language or region.
Why Use Multilingual Engagement Surveys?
One survey, multiple languages – No need to create separate surveys for each language or region.
Tailored experience – Employees see the survey in their preferred language, if available.
Flexible translation options – Add translations directly in the platform or by uploading a file.
Before Your Begin
Make sure your survey questions and communications are finalized in English before translating. This helps keep your translations consistent and avoids rework later.
How to Set Up Translations for Engagement Surveys
Step 1: Ask Support to Enable Languages
To enable languages on your survey:
Open a Support Conversation in Culture Amp.
Share your survey title and the language codes you want to enable (e.g.,
esfor Spanish,frfor French).If your survey design is finalized and you plan to bulk upload translations, request the translation files for your questions and communications now.
Our Support Team will:
Enable the languages on your survey
Send you the appropriate translation file/s if needed
Step 2: Add Translations
There are two ways to add translations to your survey:
Option A: Add Translations Manually (Best for small changes)
To translate survey questions:
From the Surveys page, locate your survey and click Edit Survey to open.
Go to the Questions tab.
Click Edit Questions to open the survey designer.
Choose a language from the dropdown to view its translations.
Paste your translated text into the relevant question, factor, or description field.
Repeat for each language to ensure consistency.
Click Done to save your changes.
To translate communications: (e.g., invite emails):
Go to the survey Communications tab.
Click on a communication (e.g., Survey Invite).
Click Edit Email.
Choose a language from the dropdown.
Paste your translated text into the email fields.
Repeat for all required languages.
Click Save Changes to update.
Option B: Upload Translations in Bulk (Best for lots of translations)
If you have a lot of translations to manage, bulk importing can save time.
To request your translation template:
Open a Support Conversation in Culture Amp.
Request the bulk translation file for survey questions, communications, or both.
Next steps:
Fill out the translation file according to the instructions.
Send it back to our Culture Amp Support Team
We’ll upload the translations to the survey for you.
How to Use the Translation File
Questions Translation File
Use this to translate survey questions.
Column | Purpose | Notes |
A | Type (e.g., Factor, Question) | Don't edit or delete |
B | Code | Unique ID – don’t edit or delete |
C | English text to translate (English) | Use for reference only – don’t change |
D | Translation (your input) | Add or update translations here |
E | Translation Required (Yes/No) | Mark “Yes” if you add/update text |
F | Notes | Optional – add any comments |
Notes:
Only text in your Translation column Column D is imported regardless of Column E value.
Use the latest translation file matching your current survey design.
Don’t change survey design (e.g. factors, questions etc) via this file—translation updates only.
Review ALL translations for accuracy, even unchanged ones before sharing your updated file.
Communications Translation File
Use this to translate things like survey invites and reminders.
Column | Purpose | Notes |
A | Template (e.g., Welcome Screen) | Don't edit or delete |
B | Section (e.g., content, subject) | Don't edit or delete |
C | HTML (English text) | Use for reference only – don’t change |
D | Translated HTML (your input) | Add or update translations here |
E | Editable (Yes/No) | If “No”, don’t edit |
F | Translation Required (Yes/No) | Mark “Yes” if you add/update text |
G | Notes | Optional, for your own use |
Important:
Keep variables intact (e.g.,
%{recipient_name}) in translations.Match the meaning/context of the English version closely.
Reporting Rules content is locked and can't be edited.
Step 3: Preview Translations
After you have completed your translation file/s, send it back to Culture Amp support for upload. Once the file/s have been uploaded you can preview how the translations look in your survey before launching your survey
To preview survey questions:
Go to the Questions tab
Click Preview
Use the Language dropdown to view translations
Click through each question to check accuracy
Repeat for each language
To Preview Communications:
Go to the survey Communications tab.
Click on a communication (e.g., Survey Invite).
Choose a language from the dropdown.
Check the translations carefully
Confirm Reporting Rules and other compliance text are accurate and consistent in each language
Repeat for all enabled languages
Survey Participant Experience
If a participant has a preferred language set in their profile and it’s available in the survey:
They’ll receive the survey and emails in that language
They can switch to another language anytime
If their preferred language isn’t available:
The survey defaults to US English
A language dropdown lets them choose another option if needed.
Survey Reporting Experience
By default, survey comments appear in the language they were written in. However, you can enable comment translation so that anyone viewing the report can translate comments into English.
Tip: Learn how to turn on comment translations at the account level in our Translate Comments to English article.
Once comment translations is enabled in your account report settings:
Go to the survey report view and check the box for "Translate comments to English."
All comments will appear in English.
Use the language filter to see which language each comment was originally written in.
Which Report Features Support Translations?
If your survey uses a Tier 1 or Tier 2 language, you’ll have:
Full translation support for Engagement survey reports and the Action Framework
Some report filters or UI elements (like date pickers) may still appear in English
Admin tools and survey configuration pages are always in English
Tip: For full details on which languages are supported and what’s included, check our Supported Languages article.
Tips & Best Practices
✔️ Finalize English content before translating.
✔️ Always use the most recent translation file. Request an updated file if you edit your survey after getting the initial copy.
✔️ Submit your translation import request at least 5 business days before launch. Standard processing takes ~2 business days for typical surveys with 2 languages. Larger or more languages take longer.
✔️ Include all worksheets and columns when returning the file.
FAQs
Can I have language support on a specific survey if it's not enabled on the account level?
Absolutely! Ask Culture Amp Support to provide the survey title, and specify the languages you want to enable. Our team will take care of it for you.
How can I add or remove language options in my survey?
Our Product Support Specialists can help! Open a Support Conversation, and include the survey title and the languages you'd like added or removed. We'll handle the rest!
💬 Need help? Just reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.