Content languages and the language switcher

A STQRY Signage display can show the same content in several languages, and visitors can switch between them on the screen itself. This article covers setting the languages up and controlling how the switcher behaves.

How it works

Your project has a primary language and any number of additional languages. More than seventy are available, from Arabic to Zulu. That includes regional variants like British English and Brazilian Portuguese, and indigenous languages such as Māori, Hawaiian, Lakota and Ojibwe.

Every media item can have a different file per language. A playlist slot holds one logical item, and the display renders whichever language version is current.

So a single playlist can show an English poster to one visitor and the Spanish version to the next, without duplicating the playlist.

Set up your languages

1. Open Project settings in your Signage project.

2. Set the Primary language.
3. Add your Additional languages.
4. In your Content Library, upload the alternate-language file for each media item.

A project has one primary language and any number of additional ones.

Media items with no version for a given language fall back to what's available. You can roll languages out gradually rather than translating everything first.

Turn on the on-screen switcher

In project settings, turn on Language switcher enabled. 

A row of language pills then appears in the top right of the screen, with the current language highlighted. On a touchscreen, a visitor taps the language they want.

Leave it off for a screen nobody interacts with, like a video wall or an overhead sign. 

Switch languages with a remote

On a device driven by a remote, the Left and Right arrow keys step through the languages. The list wraps at both ends, so you can go round in either direction.

This works when all three of these are true:

• The language switcher is enabled in project settings.

• The project has more than one language.
• Nothing is layered over the playing screen.

That last one matters. While the settings overlay or the PIN prompt is open, Left and Right belong to that instead. See Using a remote control.

Set the language toast

When someone switches language, a short message appears on screen showing the new language in its own script — for example, 日本語 for Japanese.

Language toast timeout in project settings controls how long this message stays visible. Enter the number of seconds — 4 for four seconds.

Two special values: 0 hides the message entirely, and -1 keeps it on screen until the next language change.

Bind a key to a language

Project settings has a Keybindings section where you can bind a specific key to a specific language. This is for installations with physical buttons, like a kiosk pad, a custom remote, or a wall panel with one button per flag.

Each active language can get its own key, and there's a Menu command binding too.

Bind a physical key directly to a language for installations with dedicated buttons.

Good to know

• A display always starts in the project's primary language when it loads.

• An explicit language binding on Left or Right overrides the normal stepping behavior, so you can repurpose those keys if your hardware needs it.
• The visitor audio companion has its own language selection and remembers the visitor's choice on their phone. A visitor can listen in Spanish while the screen itself shows English. See The audio companion QR code.
• The interface strings the display shows, such as the waiting messages and the companion caption, can be overridden per language as part of your theme. See Themes, branding and custom wording.

FAQ

Do I have to translate everything before I turn a language on?

No. Media items with no version in that language fall back to what's available.

Can the screen and a visitor's phone be in different languages?

Yes. The audio companion keeps its own language selection.

Why can't visitors see the language pills?

Language switcher enabled is off in project settings. Adding languages alone doesn't show the switcher.

Next steps

• Themes, branding and custom wording

• The audio companion QR code
• Using a remote control