This article will guide you through the process of effectively utilizing multilingual files in your wxrks projects.

1. Introduction

A multilingual file is a digital file that contains text or data in more than one language. These files often utilize specific formatting or coding to separate content by language.

Working with a multilingual file in your project can expedite the process of translating the same content into multiple different languages, as we can use a single file in project creation, work on translating multiple work units, and then download a single file containing all the translations, minimizing the need for pre- and post-manual file processing.

Audience and permissions

This article is for project managers, translators, and editors who create or work on multilingual-file projects.

Creating and configuring a project requires standard project-creation permissions.
Downloading files from the project level (Options bar, Import/Export bar) requires the "Project Export/Import File" permission.

2. Requirements

The multilingual .xlsx mode works based on spreadsheet columns — each column holds one language. To configure it:

Specify the column letter for each language (source column and one target column per language).
If the file has multiple sheets, enter sheet names exactly as they appear in the file.

Notes

Source and target column order in the spreadsheet does not matter.
Each target-language work unit reads only its own corresponding column.
If the project has more target languages configured than the spreadsheet has columns for, wxrks still creates a work unit for each configured language; the translated content is written to the column defined in the multilingual parameters.
If the project is missing a target locale that exists as a column in the spreadsheet, that column is left unchanged in the output .xlsx.
If the file has multiple sheets, all sheets' content for a given language is consolidated into a single work unit for that language.
Sheet names must be entered exactly as they appear in the file; typos cause errors during work unit creation.

3. Creating a project using a multilingual file

Once you have prepared your multilingual .xlsx file according to the guidelines outlined above, you can proceed to create a new project in wxrks. You can read more on project creation in our corresponding article: How to create a translation project in wxrks.

Start a new project and fill in Step 1 as usual. Select every target language you want translated , this determines which work units get created for the multilingual file.
On Step 2, upload your multilingual file (.xlsx).
Once the upload completes, click the file to expand its parameters.
Enable the Multilingual File toggle and fill in the fields described in section 2 above.
Always click on save for each configuration change.
Complete the project creation.

Configuration fields (available once "Multilingual File" is enabled):

Field	Purpose
Sheet Name	Required only when the file has multiple sheets. Leave blank for single-sheet files.
Source Column	Required. The column containing the original text.
Target Columns	One column per target language, where translated content will be written back.
Remove Configuration	Deletes the current sheet configuration.
Copy Configuration	Creates a new sheet configuration using the same settings as the selected one. For files with multiple sheets.
Add Configuration	Adds a new and empty configuration for another sheet. For files with multiple sheets.
Save	Applies the configuration.

Important: The options below are separate from the Multilingual File toggle. Enabling Multilingual File does not automatically enable or configure them.

Exclude Rows and Columns: This is a separate toggle under Multilingual Flags. Enable it independently when you need to exclude rows or columns from parsing. Read Combining Exclude Rows/Columns with Multilingual File for details.

Enable Contextual References: This is a separate toggle under Multilingual Flags. For configuration and usage details, read How to Configure and Use Contextual Reference Columns.

Data Transformation Parameters: his is a separate toggle under Multilingual Flags. However, it cannot be enabled when Multilingual File is enabled; the two options are mutually exclusive.

Enable Target Char Limit: This is an optional control in Filtering Options for multilingual .xlsx files. For configuration and usage details, read How to Configure and Use Target Char Limit in wxrks.

4. Translating a multilingual project

Once the project is created, wxrks generates a separate work unit for each target language you configured.

You can verify the parsing configuration used for a work unit by checking its filter settings. This confirms that the Source Column and Target Column mappings were applied as expected, along with any row or column exclusions configured separately through Exclude Rows and Columns.

When you open a work unit in the editor, wxrks applies the multilingual column mapping. If Exclude Rows and Columns was enabled and configured separately, those exclusions are also applied. Translatable content then starts from the rows and columns defined by your configuration.

Continue with your standard translation workflow and confirm segments as usual.

5. Downloading the translated multilingual file

There are three different ways to get a translated file out of wxrks, and they do not all behave the same way for multilingual files. Use this section to pick the right one.

5.1 Editor → Download → Translated File (single work unit)

What you get: A file containing only the language of the work unit you currently have open. The other target-language columns are left unchanged from the source file — they are not filled in by this download.
When to use it: Quick check or handoff of a single language while still working inside the editor.

Behavior notes:

Includes any segments that have not yet been confirmed.
Font-mapping and file-name suffix options in the download modal apply regardless of language.
This is not the way to get every language at once — use section 5.2 for that.

5.2 Import/Export bar → Download Translated Files

What you get: This is the recommended way to generate a multilingual file with either all translated languages or only the specific languages you choose. Each selected target language is written back into its corresponding column in the same output file.

Groups work units by their original source file.
Resolves the full set of target locales for that file — from the work units you selected.
Merges every language's translations back into the corresponding column of one output file per original document.

When to use it: This is the recommended method whenever you need the complete multilingual file back, with every language filled in at once.

Behavior note: This export has two flows. If you choose Download all translated from workflow, wxrks exports the complete multilingual file with all available target-language columns for the selected workflow. If you choose Selected WUs, only the languages associated with the work units you selected are included in the exported file.

5.3 Work Unit → Download File → Translated File

What you get: A translated file generated from the single work unit you selected. Only that work unit's target language is applied to the multilingual file. The other target-language columns remain unchanged from the original file.
How to download it: Open the work unit menu → select Download File → choose Translated File → confirm the download options.
When to use it: Use this method when you need to download or validate only one target language, instead of generating the complete multilingual file with all translated languages.
Behavior note: If the work unit contains unconfirmed segments, wxrks displays a warning before processing the file. Unconfirmed translations are not included as completed translations in the generated output.

5.4 Project Actions → Download Translated Files