Translation Tools
Language access is a critical equity practice that helps ensure all households — especially immigrant, refugee, and LEP (limited English proficiency) communities — can access affordable housing programs.
Public House supports multilingual access across key touchpoints in the application and screening process.
🔍 Where Translations Are Available
Translations are accessible within core forms and communications, including:
- Screening Forms
- Applications
- Annual Surveys
- Email & SMS Messaging: The many outgoing communications are sent in the applicant’s preferred language.
✅ Staff Note: Be sure the Preferred Language field is added to your screening forms. Reach out to Public House Support to add the Preferred Language question to your screening form. This ensures applicants begin receiving communications and navigating the process in their preferred language as early as possible.
🌐 Supported Languages
Public House currently supports 12 core languages to ensure broad accessibility and to performance test translation tools across programs and communication channels. These languages were selected based on community need and system capacity.
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Chinese
- Filipino
- English
- French
- Haitian Creole
- Korean
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
- Vietnamese
⚙️ Note on Expansion:
Additional languages can be added based on program needs or population shifts. However, expansion beyond the current set may involve additional implementation costs or system coordination. Reach out if you identify a need for expanded language support.
✏️ What Is and Is Not Translated
✅ Translated Content
The following system elements are translated dynamically or via pre-loaded language sets:
- Headers, Descriptions, Questions
- Help Text and Modal Windows
- Required Document Names and Instructions
- Attestation and Certification Language
- Exception Messaging (e.g. exception request windows)
- Message Screens (success, error, confirmation, etc.)
- All customized authentication/login messages
- All Email Templates and Footers, and SMS Templates
- Picklist Options – translated for display, but stored in English for data consistency
🚫 Not Translated (Stored As Entered)
The following user-input fields and elements are not translated and appear exactly as entered:
- Campaign Names
- Program Names
- Applicant and Household Names
- Employer or Landlord Names
- Addresses
- Text and Long Text free response fields like:
- Special needs or accommodation descriptions
- Significant income changes
- Assets sold or transferred
- Help Requests submitted from the applications are not translated. Any responses to these emails are also not translated. Help requests submitted from the applications are not translated. Any responses to these emails are also not translated.
These values are stored and retrieved exactly as submitted, without translation applied.
Preventing Translation
To exclude specific terms from translation, wrap them in <notranslate> tags.
<notranslate>Proper Name</notranslate>
Note: No Translate tags are not supported for picklist options.
If preferred, language tools can be disabled for your program or specific forms. Contact Support to configure this setting.
Public House uses the Google Translate API to provide real-time, multilingual support. This is the only scalable method for translating a platform of this size, including:
These tools allow programs to offer broad language access without needing to manually translate every component.
Using translations is optional and not a paid feature. While Google Translate is a powerful tool:
- Accuracy may vary with housing-specific language or complex phrasing.
- Clients can adjust their default-language text to help improve translated output.
For many organizations, translations provide a strong foundation for accessibility, with the option to tailor key content for even greater clarity.
All translated pages and communications include the following disclaimer:
Translated from English to {Language} by Google Translate. Please ask for help if anything is unclear.
Where Do I Select Languages?
Enable Translations on the Translations tab in the Public House app. Once enabled, you can set your default and supported languages.
Notes: Public House exclusively uses the Preferred Language field on the Contact. Do not add this to your layouts where staff or other processes might override the applicants preferences. Your organization may have other custom language related fields on the contact or use the Homekeeper’s Languages Spoken field.
Notes: If you add Preferred Language options that are not supported by Public House, when selected, communications will be sent in English.