The templates in limesurvey have variables with present text. for example

Varibale:{Welcome}
Preset text: Welcome to this sample survey. You should have a great time doing this

What my colleague was trying to do was change the preset text of the {WELCOME}and {PRIVACY} variables so that the new welcome message and privacy message would appear on all the templates where the variable is used.

She was trying to find the variable in the database so that we can alter what the welcome message states in one location and not have to go to each template.

Granted she can copy the template and then remove the variable with the preset text but then what if a person creates a survey using a template different to the one she copied and modified because it has the desired colors and what not.

You need to adapt the text in the translation files (there is a good description on how to translate LS in the manual).

oh. the PoEdit is installed on the survey author's desktop as opposed to the limesurvey live environment?

PoEdit is just an editor to help you to translate the files. If you want to translate the files, you need to get the respective files on your computer, save them, translate them and upload them back to the server.

Due to some other comments you made, I would recommend to install a LS test environment on your local computer (e.g. XAMPP + Limesurvey), so you can test your changes to LS and only upload the changes/modifications to your productive system once you are done and happy with it.

Sorry, I don't understand the question. Just follow the instructions provided by holch.

i downloaded poedit and the two translation files for english to my pc.

I opened the .en file using the poedit (see screen shot A) and when i right click on the Welcome I see where that entry references (see screen shot a) Now when i go to open any of the 3 references listed. I get an error message which is most likely due to no opening the language files from the pc with the limesurvey installation.

first i want to know if i am on the right track here?

second when i search the path shown in the reference

/var/lib/limesurvey-svn/subversion1x/admin/html.php

i am only getting as far as /var/lib(see screen shot b)

is this because we do not have something included in our installation?

No screenshots here. Probably you ran into the Pixel-Limit (800*800px).

do you see screen shot b? i used the select file to attach method for that and selected the .png. i also edited the post and did it for A as well.

the app i am using to browse the directories/files on the limesurvey installation from my windows desktop is called WINSCP.

Just download the necessary files to your destop. Don't browse them directly on the server. This should be the best way to do it. Alternatively you can download them with the installation zip file of Limesurvey.

yup that is what i did. i am looking at the translation files from my pc.

which directory should these two translation files be located on the limesurvey installation theoretically?

i would write some documentation of how to use poedit to modify the welcome message but i need to get it right first.

were any of my screen shots seen?