Bilingual Surveys (English/French)

• Serve English and French-speaking customers equally
• Show cultural sensitivity and respect
• Improve response rates in French communities
• Meet Quebec's language requirements (Bill 101)

• Customers respond more honestly in their preferred language
• Higher completion rates when surveys match customer language
• More detailed open-ended responses in native language
• Reduced misunderstandings

For Quebec businesses, French must be available:

• Bill 101: French must be at least as prominent as English
• Consumer Protection: Customers have right to French communication
• demeterrr ensures compliance by default

When a customer opens your survey:

1. demeterrr checks their contact language preference
2. If set to "French", shows French version
3. If set to "English" or unset, shows English version
4. Customer can switch languages using toggle at top

One survey contains both languages:

• Not two separate surveys
• Same questions in both languages
• Responses stored together
• Reports combine both languages

All surveys start with English content. You add French translations.

demeterrr uses inline side-by-side editing for easy translation:

In Survey Builder

1. Open your survey
2. Toggle Show French (top right)
3. You'll see both languages side-by-side:
   • Left column: English
   • Right column: French
4. Edit either language directly
5. Changes save automatically

Side-by-Side View

┌─────────────────────┬─────────────────────┐
│ English (EN)        │ Français (FR)       │
├─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┤
│ How satisfied were  │ Dans quelle mesure  │
│ you with your visit?│ êtes-vous satisfait │
│                     │ de votre visite?    │
└─────────────────────┴─────────────────────┘

Survey Level:

• Survey title (internal only, customers don't see)
• Welcome message
• Thank you message
• Completion page text

Question Level:

• Question text
• Question description/help text
• Placeholder text
• Multiple choice options
• Checkbox options
• Error messages

Button Labels:

• "Submit" / "Soumettre"
• "Next" / "Suivant"
• "Previous" / "Précédent"

1. Create question in English first:

   • Add question type
   • Write English text
   • Configure options
   • Save

2. Switch to bilingual view:

   • Toggle "Show French"
   • See side-by-side layout

3. Add French translation:

   • Click in French column
   • Type translation
   • Auto-saves as you type

4. Preview in both languages:

   • Click "Preview"
   • Toggle language switcher
   • Verify both versions

English: "On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?"

French: "Sur une échelle de 0 à 10, quelle est la probabilité que vous recommandiez nos services à un ami ou un collègue?"

English Question: "Which service did you receive?" French Question: "Quel service avez-vous reçu?"

English Options:

• Dental Cleaning
• Filling
• Root Canal
• Whitening

French Options:

• Nettoyage dentaire
• Plombage
• Traitement de canal
• Blanchiment

For customer-facing content:

Don't:

• ❌ Use Google Translate directly
• ❌ Guess if you're not fluent
• ❌ Mix formal/informal "you" (tu/vous)

Do:

• ✅ Hire professional translator
• ✅ Use consistent terminology
• ✅ Always use formal "vous" (not "tu")
• ✅ Have native speaker review

Translate meaning, not just words:

English: "What could we improve?" Poor French: "Qu'est-ce que nous pourrions améliorer?" (too literal) Better French: "Comment pourrions-nous nous améliorer?"

French text is typically 15-30% longer than English:

English: "Submit" (6 characters) French: "Soumettre" (9 characters)

Solution: Test both languages on mobile to ensure buttons/labels fit.

Use the same translations across:

• All questions in the survey
• All surveys you create
• Email templates
• Website/app

Create a glossary:

• Customer → Client
• Satisfaction → Satisfaction
• Appointment → Rendez-vous
• Service → Service

In Quebec:

Requirements:

• French must be at least as prominent as English
• French can be the only language (English optional)
• Commercial communications must be available in French

demeterrr compliance:

• Both languages equally prominent
• French toggle always visible
• Reports available in both languages

Survey Introduction:

• EN: "We'd love your feedback"
• FR: "Nous aimerions avoir votre avis"

Thank You:

• EN: "Thank you for your feedback!"
• FR: "Merci pour vos commentaires!"

Required Field:

• EN: "This question is required"
• FR: "Cette question est obligatoire"

Error Messages:

• EN: "Please enter a valid email"
• FR: "Veuillez entrer une adresse courriel valide"

When previewing your survey:

1. Click Preview button
2. Top of survey shows language toggle: EN | FR
3. Click to switch between languages instantly
4. All content updates (questions, buttons, messages)

English Version:

• All questions have English text
• Options make sense in English
• Buttons labeled in English
• Character limits work

French Version:

• All questions have French text
• Options translated correctly
• Accents display correctly (é, è, ê, à, ç)
• Text doesn't overflow on mobile

Bilingual surveys extend to automated sequences:

Edit both languages:

• English: "We'd love your feedback on your visit"
• French: "Nous aimerions avoir votre avis sur votre visite"

Side-by-side editing:

• English: Full email template in English
• French: Full email template in French

Character limits matter more with French (longer text):

• English: "How was your visit? Let us know: [link]" (42 chars)
• French: "Comment s'est passée votre visite? Dites-nous: [link]" (55 chars)

Stay under 160 characters for single SMS.

Learn more in Sequences.

Responses in both languages appear together:

• English and French responses in same report
• Filter by language if needed
• Comments shown in original language
• Export includes language column

Track which language customers prefer:

1. Go to Reports → Responses
2. Filter by "Language"
3. See EN/FR breakdown
4. Adjust future communications accordingly

❌ Bad: English question with English options, French question with English options

✅ Good: Both question AND options translated

❌ Bad: Mix of "tu" and "vous"

✅ Good: Always "vous" for customers

❌ Bad: "Comment était votre visite?" (too casual, literal)

✅ Good: "Dans quelle mesure êtes-vous satisfait de votre visite?"

❌ Bad: Button text overflows on mobile in French

✅ Good: Test both languages on mobile, adjust as needed

Now that you understand bilingual surveys:

1. Set up survey settings - Configure language options
2. Preview both languages - Test thoroughly
3. Create bilingual sequences - Automate in both languages
4. Customize email templates - Translate emails

Can I add languages beyond English and French? Not currently. demeterrr supports English and French only, covering Canadian business needs.

Can I create a French-only survey? Yes! Just leave English fields empty and fill in French. Toggle default language to French.

Do I need to translate every question? Best practice is yes, but you can leave some English-only if needed. French customers will see English for untranslated content.

How do I know which language a customer prefers? Check the contact's "Language Preference" field. Set it when importing or editing contacts.

Can customers switch languages mid-survey? Yes! The language toggle (EN | FR) is always visible at the top of the survey.

Ready to serve both language communities? Start translating! 🇨🇦