In analysing responses I had to a survey which was released in multiple languages, one of the first columns in the csv. is called 'StartLang', and related to the language of the survey.
However, in all the other languages, respondents had the option to revert to the master language, which was English.

For example, I can see that many people who were completing the Hungarian survey, have
'English' appearing in the StartLang data column. langauge is something critical for my analysis, so my question is:

Can users switch constantly between languages in a survey once they have started? If so, what language is recorded in the 'StartLang' in the data extraction when there is more than one language available? is this based purely on first click?

Hoping someone can help, as this will make a difference of several thousand responses depending on what it does!

Thank you

The startlanguage is the language set at start , before all other action.

Best to have language is to ask language in the 1st group in a dedicated question.

Hi Denis, thanks for reply, but this is a closed survey. I have downloaded the responses to analyse and therefore need to understand the parameters of have the data is captured.

Is the start language based on the first click or the final option? Assuming that people can move between the languages in a survey. When you preview a survey you can answer several questions and then go up and change the langauge at the drop-down in the top. So it is very difficult for me to understand what data LimeSurvey stores in that column.

Yes, it's the 1st link , in general the link in the email if it's a closed survey …
If you show welcome page : it can be the language choosed in welcome page.

If you don't prepare the survey to get the «real» choice of the user, i'm afraid you don't really have a solution …

There are 2 ways to prepare a survey

My choice
1. Hide/remove the language changer in theme editor
2. Create a 1st group with description of the survey AND a language question type

Another possibility if you want to allow user to change language during survey
1. Add a Equatiuon question in each group (code : langG1, langG2 …) with {SURVEYLANGUAGE}

Hello Denis,

Thanks again. This is not based on the link, this is in the drop-down option. So for example, people clicking on the Hungarian link seemed to choose to complete the survey many times in English, not in Hungarian, if I assess the responses based upon 'start language'.

So are you saying that this means that if they went into the survey and chose to change the language English that this would be what is recorded from the first drop-down? Because when they enter the survey it would automatically have been in Hungarian, as that was the survey they accessed.

So if it's based on clicking the link as you say, that doesn't make sense, because I know they clicked on Hungarian, but it is recording their startlang as English!!

I acn't answer like this …
You say they click on Hungarian, i don't know this.
You didn't put LimeSurvey version and build number
You didn't say how they get the links
You didn't say iof they receve an email
etc …

But more : i already say : without preparing the survey, you can not use startlanguage.

Hi,
to contribute to the confusion
1. The participants reveive a link with the predefined language "&lang=hu"
1.a. If this parameter is missing, the survey starts with the base language.
2. If there is a welcome page with a language switcher this prededefined language is displayed.
2.a. The selected language of this language changer is saved as "startlanguage".
3. If there is no welcome page the survey starts with the predefined language "startlanguage".
4. If the participants change the language during the survey you are not able to see this.


Joffm

Hi Joffm,

Thanks, that is really useful to know that their selected language is saved as startlanguage. We had a welcome page and then they could chose to proceed in their language or default to English, so if they have changed to English, then at least we know they actively did this through the downloaded 'startlang' data.

Won't be clear if they continued and finished in that language if they changed back though. We hadn't realised when designing it that it could be changed backwards and forwards or we would have fixed it.

Appreciate the response