Can I use my form in multiple languages?

Short answer: At present, there is no automatic translation of a form into multiple languages. If you wish to offer forms to customers in multiple languages, you currently need to create a second form and translate it manually.

Current workflow

1. Create the original form as usual, e.g. in German
2. Copy the form (function in the form overview)
3. Translate the copy — manually convert all field labels, buttons, notes, confirmation emails, etc. into the target language
4. Assign a unique URL for the translated form

This results, for example, in /form/anfrage-de for German customers and /form/anfrage-en for English-speaking customers — each of which can be maintained independently.

Language switcher on your own website

If you offer both forms on a website, you need to integrate a language switcher into your site (typically: flag icons in the header) that links to the respective form URL. You must create the switcher in your website CMS, not in propform.

What is not (yet) automatically translated

• Field labels (“Name”, “Phone”, “Message”)
• Required field indicators
• Standard error messages
• Buttons (“Submit”, “Next”)
• Confirmation email templates
• Privacy policy texts

→ Everything must be entered manually in the target language in the form copy.

Override key labels for single/multi-select fields

In the form copy, you must not only translate field labels and buttons, but also the key labels of the single/multi-select fields — otherwise, for example, object types will still appear in German on the English form.

For each single/multi-select field → Display settings → Table “Single Select Key Label” or “Multi Select Key Label”:

• Column 1: Key value from onOffice (e.g. ind_3673, apartment, villa)
• Column 2: different label in the form (e.g. Apartamento, Townhouse)

This is how you override the German onOffice label only in this form with the translation — without changing anything in the onOffice administration.

> 💡 Finding the key value: If you do not know the key values, right-click in the form → Inspect → Select field → Show <option> tags data-selectable-data-value (key) + plain text (label).

Tip for shared text across multiple languages

If you maintain multiple form copies for several languages, onOffice client free text fields (Tools → Settings → Basic Settings → Text and Design → Free Text Fields 1-30) make centralised edits easier:

• Instead of fixed text in the forms → use macros such as _MdtFreitext1, _MdtFreitext2 etc.
• If the text needs to be changed: adjust the client free text field once → the content is automatically updated in all forms
• Useful e.g. for legal notices, mandatory field explanations, footer texts

On the roadmap

Automatic multilingual support per form (e.g. one form = multiple languages, switch in the renderer, auto-translation of new fields) is noted as a feature request in the backlog. If you’d like to see this, please drop us a quick line at hello@propform.io — use case descriptions help us with prioritisation.

Tip for multilingual confirmation emails

If you’re already using pre-macros or conditional text in the original form, you can work with _calculate(IF(...)) constructs in the email template to, for example, send out different texts based on a language selection field — but this is fiddly. It’s rarely worth the effort for more than two languages.

📖 Related: Email in propform · Copy form