Creating and managing language variants

IMPORTANT: Item language variants are not available by default. If you would like item language variants enabled on your Surpass instance, contact your Surpass Customer Success Manager.

When creating an item, you can create variants for the item in multiple languages. Language variants can only be created for Multiple Choice, Multiple ResponseEither/OrEssay questions, item sets; and Introduction, Information, and Finish Pages.

This article explains how to create, search for, edit, delete, and restore item language variants. For more information about using item language variants to deliver tests in different languages, read Delivering tests in different languages.

If enabled for your instance of Surpass, language variants can be configured in Site Settings. For more information about site settings, read ‘About Language Variants settings‘ in About Site Settings options.

In this article

Creating a language variant

Select and open an item in your subject to go to the Edit screen.

NOTE: If creating an item set containing items with language variants, for the item set and its items to be valid for scheduling in a test form, ensure all items in the set have language variants in the same language(s) and all language variants are set to Live status.

Select Language Variants to open the panel.

Select the language in which you want to create a language variant for the item from the drop-down list of languages.

Select the Add button to populate the language details into the table. The Add button is enabled only when the language is selected from the list.

NOTE: Only the languages enabled in the Site Settings > Language Variants are displayed in this list. For more information, read 'About Language Variants settings' in About Site Settings options.

To close the expanded language variants panel, select Language Variants again.

The following table gives a description for each field in the table:

Field Description
Language Name The name of the language in which the variant is created. 
Language Name (Native) The name of the language in which the variant is created, in its native language.
Code The standardised ISO code used to universally identify the language of an item.

Editing the inherited item content

After adding a language variant, the item details from the default language (parent item) are inherited. Now you can translate the item language variant’s text into the selected language and amend any other item content or settings as needed.

If the relevant language variant exists, the next or previous item is opened in the same language when navigating between items.

Searching for language variants

You can search for a particular language variant of your item using a search field within the panel.

Deleting a language variant

To delete a language variant, select the language variant you want to remove from the list and select Delete.

The Delete button deactivates the language variant and highlights it red. Deactivated language variants cannot be edited or accessed in Tasks, but are still considered valid for use in tests until permanently deleted.

Permanently deleting a language variant

Language variants can be permanently deleted.

Restoring a language variant

Deactivated language variants can be restored.