---
title: How to add new languages to ChurchTools?
description: "Each time you update your ChurchTool, it automatically searches for new *languages*. If your system finds one or more languages that it does not yet have, these are imported. No translations that you have changed yourself in your ChurchTools will…"
url: "https://staging.churchtools.academy/en/help/administration/languages/how-do-i-add-new-languages-to-churchtools/"
updated: "2026-06-11"
category: Languages
---

# How to add new languages to ChurchTools?

Each time you update your ChurchTool, it automatically searches for new *languages*. If your system finds one or more languages that it does not yet have, these are imported. No translations that you have changed yourself in your ChurchTools will be overwritten. We explain how to do this on the help page [How to customize translations in ChurchTools?](https://staging.churchtools.academy/en/help/administration/languages/how-to-customize-translations-in-churchtools/)

**Note**

It is very important to distinguish between *translations* and *languages*. You can find basic information on this on our help page [Overview of languages and translations](https://staging.churchtools.academy/en/help/administration/languages/internationalization/) and the pages linked there.

In principle, we automatically provide you with **all the languages** that we maintain in our systems. If the language you require is not available in your system, you can integrate it manually and maintain it yourself.

To do this, go to *Translations* via the *Manage menu* and select the *Languages* tab (1). Click on *Language* (2). A list of the languages already available in your ChurchTools will open. Click on a language to edit it.

You can add another language to your system using the blue plus (3) at the bottom of the table. Please note that you must also maintain languages that you add yourself by entering a translation for each technical term - so-called *keys* - under *Translations*.

[![Translations - Tab Languages](https://staging.churchtools.academy/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Translations_Tab-Languages.png)](https://staging.churchtools.academy/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Translations_Tab-Languages.png)

When you create a new language, you must enter the following information:

- *Language abbreviation* (4): We use the official language abbreviations according to ISO 639-1. In exceptional cases, we abbreviate to the second part, as with zh-tw and zh-cn.
- *Name* (5): Here, too, we are guided by the official proper names of the languages, such as Suomi for the Finnish language.
- *Active* (6):**L**anguages can be easily activated and deactivated using this tick.
- *Sort order* (7): The number assigned here reflects the order in which the languages are displayed in the selection menu for your ChurchTools language. The lower the number, the higher up the language is in the menu. If the sorting is identical, the languages are sorted alphabetically according to the language abbreviation.

[![Translations - Tab Languages - Create new entry](https://staging.churchtools.academy/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Translations_Tab-Languages_Create-new-entry.png)](https://staging.churchtools.academy/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Translations_Tab-Languages_Create-new-entry.png)

Once the language has been created, you can start adding translations. We explain how to do this at [How to customize translations in ChurchTools?](https://staging.churchtools.academy/en/help/administration/languages/how-to-customize-translations-in-churchtools/)

## Article to read more

- [Overview of languages and translations](https://staging.churchtools.academy/en/help/administration/languages/internationalization/)
- [How to change the language of my ChurchTool?](https://staging.churchtools.academy/en/help/my-churchtools/customization/how-to-change-the-language-of-my-churchtool/)
- [How can I customize translations in ChurchTools?](https://staging.churchtools.academy/en/help/administration/languages/how-to-customize-translations-in-churchtools/)