> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.tillit.cloud/tillit/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.tillit.cloud/tillit/knowledge-base/setting-up-tillit/articles/managing-language-variants.md).

# Managing Language Variants

Create and manage multiple language versions of the same article, and understand how TilliT shows the right language to the right viewer.

## Overview

Every article has a unique **article code**. An article can have one or more **language variants** attached to that code — for example, an English and a French version of the same SOP. Each language variant has its own content (Text or PDF) and its own Draft/Live status, but they are all grouped together as a single article wherever TilliT lists or links to articles.

{% hint style="info" %}
Publishing or saving one language variant does not affect any other language variant of the same article. You can keep one language in Draft while another is Live.
{% endhint %}

## Adding a Language Variant

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the article in the editor.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
In the language tab bar, click **+ Add Language**. The dropdown only lists languages that are not already in use for this article.

![alt text](https://352909507-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FrNT40XJFAFlAhUX8CcQS%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-18a541237ea2b579a7ae78b7fd52e6f4c9804414%2Farticles-unused-unreferenced-paste.png?alt=media)
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Select the language you want to add. A new tab is created and the editor switches to it.

![alt text](https://352909507-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FrNT40XJFAFlAhUX8CcQS%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-71da286c1060bf53bfcf4a0b650e86ac307af764%2Flanguage-variants-new-tab-created.png?alt=media)
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Add your content, then **Publish to Live** or **Save as Draft** as normal.

![alt text](https://352909507-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FrNT40XJFAFlAhUX8CcQS%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-a7a11549e8c0205afa26c31864528472776383c7%2Flanguage-variants-publish-to-live.png?alt=media)

![alt text](https://352909507-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FrNT40XJFAFlAhUX8CcQS%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-9b1f49dcaa7e4770562260fe9efaaf668b145171%2Flanguage-variants-save-as-draft.png?alt=media)
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
**PDF articles:** a new PDF language variant does not start blank — it keeps showing the previously uploaded PDF until you upload a file for this language. If you don't upload a new PDF before publishing, the new language variant will use the other language's PDF. Always upload the correct file for each language before publishing it.
{% endhint %}

## Switching Between Languages

Click any language tab to open that variant. If you have unsaved changes on the current tab, TilliT prompts you to confirm before switching — choose to discard the changes or go back and save them first.

![alt text](https://352909507-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FrNT40XJFAFlAhUX8CcQS%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-dd7dff8c69f73ed5ea7e7f136178870eba42dec5%2Flanguage-variants-unsaved-changes-prompt.png?alt=media)

## Deleting a Language Variant

{% hint style="info" %}
Deleting a language variant only removes that language from the article — the other language variants, and the article itself, are not affected. If you delete the last remaining language variant, the article is removed entirely.
{% endhint %}

To delete a specific language variant:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the article and switch to the language tab you want to remove.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **Actions** in the editor toolbar and select **Delete**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Confirm the deletion. If other language variants remain, you're taken to one of them; otherwise you're returned to the article list.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
The delete option on a grouped row in **List View** removes the variant currently shown on that row — which is whichever language matches your current TilliT locale, not necessarily the one you have in mind. To delete a different language, open the article editor, switch to that language's tab, and delete it from there.
{% endhint %}

## List View and Tree View

Articles that share a code are grouped together instead of appearing as separate entries:

* **List View** — each article is a single row with a language chip for every variant it has. Click a chip to jump straight to that language. The row's name, last-modified date, and the actions in that row (open, edit, delete) all reflect whichever variant matches your current TilliT locale, regardless of which language was created first.

![alt text](https://352909507-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FrNT40XJFAFlAhUX8CcQS%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-f06355d8a013e3c32f5ce04244c0653d4512f577%2Flanguage-variants-list-view-chips.png?alt=media)

* **Tree View** — an article with multiple language variants still appears as a single node in the tree, not one node per language.

![alt text](https://352909507-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FrNT40XJFAFlAhUX8CcQS%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-f36d5534de220e7b56d5273b09836239afd585b1%2Flanguage-variants-tree-view-single-node.png?alt=media)

## How Linked Articles Choose a Language

When an article is linked elsewhere in TilliT — on a Material, an Activity Template, an Asset, or shown through the mobile article viewer, gateway sidebar, Activity Assistant chat, or an asset/material tab — TilliT shows the variant matching the **viewer's current locale**, not the language it happened to be in when it was linked. If no variant exists in the viewer's locale, TilliT falls back to the variant that was originally linked, so the content is never missing — just not translated.

{% hint style="info" %}
This means two people viewing the same linked article in different TilliT locales can see different languages, by design.
{% endhint %}

## Article Pickers

The **Article** dropdown on Materials and Activity Templates lists one entry per article, not one per language variant. The name shown prefers your current locale's variant where one exists.