On the page **Languages** (*Sprachen*) you set up the languages in which you maintain the texts of your articles: title, descriptions, search terms and meta texts. You add as many languages as you need. One of them is your **default language**.

The languages are used in several places of the catalogue:

- In the **Languages** tab of an article you write its texts per language, see [Edit an article](/products/edit-article.md#languages-tab).
- Every sales channel is served in one of these languages, see [Categories & mapping](/sales-channels/categories-and-mapping.md).
- Import and export templates show one section *Texts & categories* per language, see [Import templates](/products/import-templates.md) and [Export templates](/products/export-templates.md).
- Categories and product groups get a name field per language, see [Categories](/products/categories.md) and [Product groups](/products/product-groups.md).

![Screenshot: Table "Your languages" with flag, code, the "Default" badge, name, flag selection, order and the buttons Save and Remove](/products/images/article-languages-list.png)

## Before you start

- Your user needs the permission **Languages** (*Sprachen*) in the catalogue permissions. The menu item sits in the **Attributes** (*Attribute*) submenu, so you also need the permission for the attribute management. Ask your administrator if the entry is missing.
- The languages belong to the company you are logged in with. Every company – logistician and each client – keeps its own list.

## Step by step

### Open the page

Open **Catalogue › Attributes › Languages** (*Katalog › Attribute › Sprachen*). You can also click **Manage languages** (*Sprachen verwalten*) or **Create languages** (*Sprachen anlegen*) in the **Languages** tab of an article.

![Screenshot: Catalogue menu with the Attributes submenu opened and the entry Languages highlighted](/products/images/article-languages-menu.png)

### Add a language

1. Go to the box **Add language** (*Sprache hinzufügen*).
2. Choose a **Suggestion** (*Vorschlag*), for example *French (fr)*. X-Sitter fills in code, name and flag for you. For a language that is not in the list, leave **– custom language –** (*– eigene Sprache –*) and fill in the fields yourself.
3. Check the **Code (ISO)** (*Kürzel (ISO)*) and the **Name**. Both are required.
4. Choose a **Flag** (*Flagge*) if you like. A preview appears next to the list.
5. Check the **Order** (*Reihenfolge*). It is pre-filled with the next number.
6. Click **Add** (*Anlegen*). You see *"The language was saved"* (*Die Sprache wurde gespeichert*).

The first language you add automatically becomes your default language.

![Screenshot: Box "Add language" filled from the suggestion French with code fr, name, flag preview, order and the Add button](/products/images/article-languages-add.png)

### Change a language

1. In the table **Your languages** (*Deine Sprachen*), change the **Name**, the flag under **Select flag** (*Flagge wählen*) or the **Order** in the row of the language.
2. Click **Save** (*Speichern*) in the same row. You see *"The language was saved"*.

The code of a language cannot be changed. If you add a language with a code that already exists, X-Sitter updates the existing language instead of creating a second one.

### Set the default language

Click **as default** (*als Standard*) in the **Default** (*Standard*) column of the language. You see *"The default language has been set"* (*Die Standardsprache wurde gesetzt*). The default language now shows the green **Default** badge.

### Remove a language

Click **Remove** (*Entfernen*) in the row of the language. You see *"The language was removed"* (*Die Sprache wurde entfernt*).

!!!warning No confirmation
The language is removed immediately, without a confirmation dialog. The texts your articles have in this language are **kept**: if you add the language again with the same code, they show up again.
!!!

## Fields and options

| Field | Meaning | Required |
|---|---|---|
| **Suggestion** (*Vorschlag*) | Fills code, name and flag for one of 14 common languages (German, English, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Danish, Swedish, Portuguese, Czech, German (Austria), German (Switzerland), English (USA)) | No |
| **Code (ISO)** (*Kürzel (ISO)*) | Two letters (ISO 639-1), optionally with a region: `de`, `en`, `de-at`. X-Sitter stores it in lower case | Yes |
| **Name** | Name of the language in the masks, up to 64 characters | Yes |
| **Flag** (*Flagge*) | Flag image shown next to the language in the masks. **– none –** (*– keine –*) = no flag | No |
| **Order** (*Reihenfolge*) | Order of the languages in the table and in the language tabs of an article | No |
| **Default** (*Standard*) | Marks the default language. Exactly one language is the default | – |

## Good to know

- **What the default language means:**
  - The name, short and long description in the **Attributes** tab of an article are the texts of the default language (marked with its flag).
  - Import columns without a language go into the default language.
  - The names of categories and product groups are written in the default language.
- **Switching the default language:** categories and product groups swap their name for the name in the new language wherever there is one. In the **Attributes** tab of an article, name and descriptions now show the texts of the new default language.
- **Articles of a client** use the default language of their owner as their main language.
- **Removing the default language:** the first remaining language in the order becomes the new default language.
- In the mapping of a sales channel you can only choose languages from this list. A field mapped to **Language texts** (*Sprachtexte*) stays empty if the article has no text in the channel language.

## Troubleshooting

| Message | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| *Bitte ein Kürzel wie de, en oder de-at und einen Namen angeben* (Please enter a code such as de, en, or de-at and a name) | The code is not two letters (plus region), or the name is empty | Enter a valid code and a name |
| *Diese Sprache gibt es nicht* (This language doesn't exist) | The language was removed in the meantime, for example in a second browser tab | Reload the page and try again |
| The menu item **Languages** is missing | Your user lacks the permission for languages or for attributes | Ask your administrator |