Overview
A multilingual setup needs more than translated question titles. Plan the Checklist text, instructions and reference documents together, then check how each working surface presents them.
Checklist language, interface language and manual Versions have separate rules. Use this guide to prepare a consistent experience for teams who need more than one language.
At a glance |
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Who can do this | Super Users; otherwise Checklists › Modify and Manuals and Directories › Create for your own Library content. |
Where | Checklists and Library in the Backend; language choices in the apps |
Works on | Backend (web), Mobile app, RideOps |
Availability | All organizations |
💡 Why this matters: Checking the complete workflow helps staff reach both the questions and the supporting instructions in a language they can use.
Plan the content
1. Choose the primary language
Make the Checklist’s primary language complete and suitable for its intended use. It provides the fallback for missing translated fields. RideOps displays the Checklist in this primary language, so include RideOps requirements in this decision.
2. Add secondary languages
Add and save the secondary languages in the Checklist editor. Then select the Checklist in Checklists, click Translate and enter the translations in the translation tool. Translate titles, explanatory text and relevant answer options, not only the Checklist name. Mobaro does not automatically translate your content. See translating Checklists for the editor steps.
3. Review with a fluent colleague
Have someone familiar with the procedure check the wording, technical terms, units and answer choices. Keep the meaning aligned with the primary version when either one changes.
Check each working surface
Surface or content | Language behavior |
Mobile Checklist | Uses available translations; Select Language lets the User choose |
Missing translated field | Falls back to that field’s primary-language text |
RideOps Checklist | Uses the Checklist’s primary language |
Manual PDF | Comes from the selected manual Version, not automatic translation |
A User’s preferred language helps determine the Mobile Checklist language. It does not create translations or translate an attached PDF. Changing the RideOps interface language does not change its Checklist language rule.
⚠️ Heads-up: Checklists with incomplete translations can show a mixture of languages because fallback happens field by field. Review the whole Checklist on the intended device before assigning it to a multilingual team.
Prepare reference documents
For a manual available in several languages, create clearly named Versions in the Library, such as English and Spanish, and upload the corresponding PDFs. Versions are selected by Location Group applicability, not by the User’s preferred language.
Where several Versions apply, the User chooses the one to open. Limit a Version to Location Groups only when it should apply to those Locations. A Version with no Location Group limit can be offered everywhere the manual is accessible.
If questions link to manual Sections, map each Section to the correct page range in every Version. Page numbers often differ between translations. See manual Sections and Versions and using the Library in the Mobile app.
Use Library folder permissions to control who can access documents. A language label or Version name is not an access restriction; see Library permission folders.
Test and maintain the setup
As a representative User, open the scheduled Checklist in the Mobile app, choose each supported language and follow its reference links. On RideOps, separately verify the primary-language Checklist and the applicable manual Versions.
Read every question, explanation and answer option in context.
Check that each linked manual Section opens the intended pages.
Confirm that each User can access the right Checklist and documents.
Repeat the review after changing the primary wording or replacing a translated PDF.
Give the content owner responsibility for keeping translations and manual files current. Updating a primary-language instruction does not automatically update the translations.
🛑 Critical: Removing a secondary language deletes its translations from that Checklist. Check the scope before removing it; adding the language again does not recover the deleted text. See Checklist language management.
Best practices
Use consistent language names for manual Versions.
Review translations alongside changes to the source procedure.
Test Mobile and RideOps separately when both are used.
Frequently asked questions
Can a User choose the secondary language in the app?
Yes, when that translation exists. Use Select Language in the Mobile Checklist. See Checklist translation behavior.
Can the same Checklist contain multiple languages?
Yes. Add secondary languages and supply their translations. Missing fields fall back to the primary language; RideOps uses the primary language. See the language guide.
Can I remove a secondary language from every Checklist at once?
There is no bulk language-removal workflow in the Checklist editor. Review and edit each Checklist, and remember that removal deletes its translated text. See removing a language.