Author content and deliverables in multiple languages

Authoring content and deliverables in multiple languages helps support product offerings in regions and markets where multilingual capabilities are required.

For firm or network authors, multilingual support enables the flexibility to switch the language of content and deliverables directly within the engagement file. This allows for efficient content creation and updates.

Recommendations for multilingual implementation

To set up translated versions of note disclosures, letters, query questions or checklist procedures you can create multiple versions in different languages. For detailed instructions, see Use case: A template with French and English language support.

Note that:

  • Multilingual capabilities do not automatically translate content. You must provide the translations for the languages that you want your product to support.

  • If you delete a language, the translated text that you have added in the template is not deleted.

  • On carry forward, the selected content language is carried over to the next period's file.

  • Firm authors cannot add or delete languages.

  • Firm author changes made to content language are not overridden when they update the firm template with the latest change from the product template.

  • Caseware language settings will override the firm or network template once you update the template.

Select available languages for an engagement

Caseware can set which languages and how many languages are available for documentation within an engagement. As a network or firm author, you can select which languages to include based on the available languages set by the primary author.

To select languages for an engagement:

  1. From the product template, click the [] Information button at the top of the screen.

  2. Click the Settings option to open Product Settings.

  3. Click Content language under the Format section

  4. In the table, you can select or deselect languages for availability in your engagements.

  5. You can also set one language as your default language.

User interface for selecting languages from the Product Settings of a Caseware template.

Multilingual capabilities for Materiality form

As a firm, network or primary author, you have multi-language capabilities in editable fields in the Materiality form. You can select a default language for your engagements and have the additional flexibility to change the language within editable fields.

Editable fields that include multilingual capabilities include:

  • Document and Sections Guidance

  • Sections Titles

  • Tables Headings

  • Overall Materiality - Benchmarks Input fields in Tables (Custom formulas / Other)

  • Performance Materiality & Trivial - % description

  • Conclusion procedures (including conclusion for Group component allocation)

To switch languages in an engagement

  1. Click the top-left corner of an engagement, to open the Entity dialog box.

  2. Click the drop-down menu under Content Language

  3. Select the language you wish to use,

  4. Open the Materiality form under the Documents page

  5. Edit or add content in the language that you selected in the editable fields.

  6. Click the checkmark beside the field to save the content.

  7. Repeat if you require the same content in other languages.

User interface for selecting the Content language type within the engagement from the top-left corner of screen

A mock example of French and German instructions

User interface of simulate French content language within an engagement form beside a user interface of simulated German content language.

Multilingual capabilities for the Summary of Misstatement

Similar to the Materiality form, authors can use multi-language capabilities in the Summary of misstatements document, specifically the Guidance and Key Data (input) fields.

A mock French example of the Summary of misstatements

User interface of simulated French language used in the Summary of misstatements form

Multilingual capabilities for Checklists

As a firm or network author, you have multilingual capabilities in the editable fields of checklists that are authored by you. This includes editable fields in the following areas within your checklist:

  • Guidance fields:

    • accessed from within the Procedures tab

    • accessed from the Guidance tab of your checklist

  • Titles for the following within the Checklist Settings:

    • Guidance title

    • Risk title

    • Conclusion title

  • Titles for the following within the Checklist Settings:

    • Guidance title

    • Risk title

    • Conclusion title

Within the Procedures tab:

The user interface for selecting guidance within a checklist from its Procedure tab.

From the Guidance tab:

The user interface for selecting guidance from the Guidance tab.

Within the Checklist Settings:

The user interface for selecting options for multilingual support from the Checklist settings.

Use case: A product with French and English

If multiple languages are supported in your product, you can author the content and deliverables (and make changes to existing ones) in more than one language.

Note: Authoring in multiple languages can be done by firm authors in the firm template or staff members in an engagement file.

This topic describes a use-case for authoring French content and deliverables in a firm template or an engagement file. You can use this use-case as a reference. Note that, you must repeat the steps listed in this use-case for each language that you need to author content and deliverables for.

Assumption: English content and deliverables have already been added and authored in the template.

Before you start

  • Ensure the language (or languages) that you need to author in are active. For detailed instructions, see Content language.

  • Ensure you have the translated content for all the languages that you need to author in. The application does not automatically translate text.

  • Switch the Content language of the template to the language you want to author in (in this use-case, switch to French)

    Note: On carry forward, the selected language in the current period file is carried over to the next period's file.

How to switch content language in your template.

Rename assertions, phases, areas, dimensions and components

Product settings such as assertion descriptions, phases, areas, dimensions and components can be renamed within your template to suit multilingual requirements. Edit permissions vary depending on your authoring role. The table below illustrates the different access permissions between a network and firm author.

Product setting permissions Network authors Firm authors
Assertion names
  • Can modify existing.

  • Can add.

  • Cannot access.

Phases
  • Can modify existing.

  • Can add.

  • Cannot access.

Areas
  • Can add.

  • Can modify only Areas created by them.

  • Can add.

  • Can modify only Areas created by them.

Dimensions
  • Can add.

  • Can modify only Dimensions created by them.

  • Can modify existing.

  • Can add.

Component
  • Can add.

  • Can modify only Components created by them.

  • Can add.

  • Can modify only Components created by them.

To start, select the Information icon () at the top menu, then choose Settings. The Product Settings dialog opens.

To rename assertions, phases, areas, dimensions and components:

  1. Go to the appropriate tab.

  2. Rename each item in the tab:

    • In the Assertions tab, enter the French abbreviation and full name of each assertion.

    • In the Phases and Areas tabs, enter the French name of each phase, cycle and area.

    • Note: The Areas tabs are only available in your product if they have been enabled by Caseware.

    • In the Dimensions tab, enter the French name of each dimension category and dimension

    • In the Components tab, enter the French name of each component category, component name and component ID.

Rename folders, subfolders, documents and placeholders

To rename folders, subfolders, documents and placeholders:

  1. Go to the Documents page.

  2. Rename each folder, subfolder, document and placeholder.

  3. For each item:

    1. Select More actions () | Edit.

    2. Enter the French name and identifier of the folder or subfolder, document and placeholder.

Add the French content

Here is the recommended approach to adding the French content.

Letters/memos

Add a French version for the letter or memo content, then set them to only show if the selected content language of the template is French.

To author content in letters and memos in French:

  1. Select +New section to add a section for each piece of content that needs to have a French equivalent.

  2. Enter the French content in the corresponding section.

  3. Add the following visibility logic for each French section.

    1. Select More actions () | Edit.

    2. Select Edit Visibility, then select Language from the Add Condition drop-down.

    3. Set the Content language is parameter to French.

    4. Change the condition logic to Show.

  4. Here is what the condition setup should look like.

Checklists and queries

Add the French versions of each procedure and query question.

To author checklist procedures in French:

Open the checklist and select Edit (). For each procedure:

  1. Select the procedure description.

    The formatting toolbar displays..

  2. Select Add Data Link () from the toolbar.

    The Data Link dialog opens.

  3. At the Dynamic Text tab, add the French description of the procedure in the Output field.

  4. Select Save.

  5. If required, select the Summary field above the description to enter the French summary for the procedure.

To author the French query questions:

Open the query document. For each query question:

  1. Select the description of the query question.

    The formatting toolbar displays..

  2. Select Add Data Link () from the toolbar.

    The Data Link dialog opens.

  3. At the Dynamic Text tab, add the French description of the question in the Output field.

  4. Select Save.

  5. If required, select the Summary field above the text to enter the French summary for the query question.

You can add French response options for picklist or multi-picklist response types in the checklist default settings.

To add French picklist response options to the checklist default settings:

  1. Select the Settings icon () to open the Checklist Settings dialog.

  2. Select the Edit icon ().

  3. Enter the French version of each picklist option.

  4. Select Save.

You can also add French response types to individual checklist procedures and query questions that have a picklist or multi-picklist response type.

To add French picklist response options for a checklist procedure or a query question:

  1. Go to the procedure in the checklist or the question in the query.

  2. Select More actions () | Settings.

  3. Select the Edit icon ().

  4. Enter the French version of each picklist option.

  5. Select Save.

Financial statements

To add a French version for text sections, headers and footers, ensure the content language of the template is set to French and then edit the existing text areas, headers and footers to remove the existing English content and add the French content.

Note: Trial balance groups automatically display in French once you switch the content language.

To add the French version of text sections in financial statements:

  1. Navigate to the existing text section in the financial statements

  2. Remove the English language content and add the French version of the content.

To add French headers and footers in financial statements:

  1. To add the document level header and footer, select the Settings icon () and choose Document Print Settings.

  2. Enter the header and footer content in the Header and Footer text fields.

You can also add custom French headers and footers for individual areas in the financial statements, the financial statement notes, and page breaks.

To add a custom French header or footer in an area or page break:

  1. Go to the desired area.

  2. Select the More actions () icon at the top right corner of the page.

  3. Choose Edit Print Settings from the list of actions.

  4. Select Custom header and Custom footer to display the text fields for the header or footer.

  5. Enter the header and footer content in the text fields.

To add a custom French header or footer for the financial statement notes:

  1. Select the Settings icon () and choose Notes Print Settings.

  2. Enter the header and footer content in the Header and Footer text fields.

For any other French version items, such as the titles of areas, in the financial statements, you need to either use dynamic text or add the French version of the content and then set them to only show if the selected content language of the template is French.

To author financial statements in French using dynamic text:

  1. Go to the section you want to add French content to and select Add Data Link () from the toolbar.

  2. The Data Link dialog opens.

  3. At the Dynamic Text tab, add the French content in the Output field.

  4. Select Save.

To author financial statements in French using visibility logic:

  1. Add French content in the desired areas.

  2. For each area:

    1. Select Add () | Text section.
    2. Enter the French content.
    3. Set up the visibility logic to have the content only display when the content language is French.
  3. Add the French note disclosures:

  4. For each note:

    1. Go to the Document Map and select Add () | Create Note.
    2. Enter the French note.
    3. Set up the visibility logic to have the note only display when the content language is French.

To set up the visibility logic for each French area and note:

  1. Select More actions () | Edit Visibility.

  2. Select Language from the Add Condition drop-down.

  3. Set the Content language is parameter to French.

  4. Change the condition logic from to Show.

  5. Here is what the condition setup should look like.