Language Variants

Created: 2026-05-26 · Updated: 2026-08-21

Slides, snippets and text blocks can exist in multiple languages — for example, a slide in German and an identical slide in English. Language variants link these versions together so the connection is visible and you can jump between them directly from the metadata panel.

What Are Language Variants For?

Without linking, DE and EN versions exist as completely independent objects. Nobody can tell at a glance that they belong together. When you update one version, the other is easily forgotten.

With language variants:

• Relationship visible — in the gallery, each tile shows the available languages directly below the title (e.g. DE | EN)
• Quick navigation — jump to a linked object from the metadata panel without searching or filtering
• Awareness when editing — anyone editing one version immediately sees that linked variants exist — a reminder to update the other version as well

Gallery View

When at least two language variants are linked, a blue language line appears below the tile title:

┌──────────────────────┐
│  [Preview image]     │
│  Overview Slide      │
│  DE | EN             │   ← blue line showing available languages
└──────────────────────┘

The line shows all linked languages. If an object has no language set, its name is shown instead. Tiles without any variant link show only their own language (if set).

Linking Objects

Prerequisites

Both objects (e.g. "Slide DE" and "Slide EN") must already be saved in the library. The language (DE, EN, …) should be entered in the Language metadata field — this makes the display more meaningful.

Step by Step

1. Open the Slides, Snippets or Texts tab → Manage sub-tab
2. Select Object A (e.g. the DE version) in the list
3. Click + Link in the right metadata panel

→ The action buttons at the bottom (Insert / Save / Delete / Open folder) are replaced by two new buttons: Link (greyed out initially) and Cancel

1. Click Object B (e.g. the EN version) in the list

→ B's metadata appears on the right for verification. The Link button becomes active.

1. Click Link

→ The link is saved. The view automatically jumps back to Object A, which now shows the linked language in the metadata panel (e.g. EN).

Variants in the Metadata Panel

Once an object is linked to one or more variants, the metadata panel shows the connected languages under Language Variants:

Language Variants:  EN | FR   [+ Link]  [× Unlink]

Jumping to a Linked Version

Clicking the blue language label (e.g. EN) navigates directly to the linked version:

• All active filters and search input are automatically reset
• The target object is selected in the list and shown on the right

This is particularly useful when the EN version would otherwise be hidden by an active language filter.

Adding Another Variant

To add a third language, e.g. a French version:

1. Select one of the already-linked versions (e.g. the DE version)
2. Click + Link
3. Select the FR object → click Link

All three objects (DE, EN, FR) now share the same group — each shows the other two as variants.

Removing a Link

1. Select the object
2. Click × Unlink in the metadata panel
3. Confirm the prompt

The object is removed from the group. All other variants in the group remain linked to each other.

Deleting an Object With Existing Variants

If you delete an object that has language variants, a warning is shown. You can still delete it — the other variants keep their links and are not affected.

Translating Variants Automatically (Texts Only)

In the Text Manager you do not have to write the foreign-language variant by hand — PPPTools translates the block and creates the variants already linked. The targets are all languages of the value list except the language of the source text.

There are two routes:

The 🌐 Translate button first shows which languages are missing and asks for confirmation. If no language is missing, a hint appears — further languages are added in the settings under "Values".

Requirements

Translation uses the same engine as Translate for entire slides — DeepL, Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Azure or Mistral, depending on what is configured under ≡ → 🌐 Translate.

1. Translation engine with an API key — without a stored and verified key, 🌐 Translate stays disabled; the tooltip explains why.
2. Pro licence — translating itself is a Pro feature.
3. For the route via the save dialog, additionally the switch Allow automatic translation when saving under ≡ → 🌐 Translate.

The switch can only be turned on if an engine with a stored key is selected above; otherwise it is disabled and the hint below says what is missing.

Why Are Language Variants Not Available for Storylines?

Storylines are not standalone content — they are collections of slides. A storyline contains references to individual slide objects that already exist independently in the library.

To translate a storyline, several steps are required:

1. Each contained slide must be individually translated and saved as a new slide version
2. The individual slides can then be linked as language variants (at the slide level)
3. A new storyline for the EN version is assembled from the EN slides

A direct variant link at the storyline level would not be able to represent this complexity — for example, when individual slides within a storyline are at different language stages, or when slides are shared across multiple storylines. The variant logic is therefore intentionally implemented at the atomic level (Slide / Snippet), where it works unambiguously and reliably.