---
url: "https://questionstar.com/help/survey-settings/translations-language-settings/"
title: "Language settings in multilingual surveys"
description: "Learn how to enable the double opt-in procedure in your survey, customize email texts, and document consent in a GDPR-compliant way."
lastmod: "2026-07-08"
type: "help"
---

# Translations and language settings

## Summary

In the **“Translations”** tab, you configure how your survey behaves in multilingual survey projects. Here you define how QUESTIONSTAR determines which language the survey should be shown to respondents in.

There are two modes to choose from:

- Detect language automatically
- Manual selection by the respondent (language selection page)

In addition, you set a **default language** in which the questionnaire is shown when no matching translation is available.

![Translations](/api/media/file/Uebersetzungen-1.png)

> 💡
> 
> **Tip:**
> During the survey, respondents can switch at any time between the languages available in the survey.

## 1. Detect language automatically

When you enable this option, QUESTIONSTAR automatically detects the respondents' language based on their **browser settings**.

For example, if a respondent uses a French-language browser and a French version of the survey exists, that version loads automatically.

> 💡
> 
> **Tip:**
> This setting is especially convenient, since respondents see the right language version right away without having to select one manually.

## 2. Set a default language

If no translation is available in the language detected by the respondent's browser, the **default language** defined here is used.

From the dropdown menu you can select one of the languages already set up in your survey — for example *German*, *English*, *French*, and so on.

> 💡
> 
> **Note:**
> The default language is also shown when respondents use, say, a very rare language code for which no translation exists.

## 3. Show a language selection page

When you enable this option, a **language selection page** is shown first when the survey is opened. There, respondents can choose their preferred language themselves before the survey begins.

This option is helpful when you want to make sure respondents **consciously decide for themselves** which language they want to take part in — independent of their browser settings.

> 💡
> 
> **Tip:**
> Showing a language selection page is especially useful with international audiences, where the browser language doesn't necessarily match the preferred language (for example, expats, travelers, or multilingual households).