Delete a language definition

As an Inspire administrator, you can manage the languages you need to develop content in and to use for translation projects. We recommend that you don't delete a language unless it has never been used in any component or translation job. As a best practice, you can flag a language as inactive and hide it from users instead of deleting it.

Before you begin
Delete vs. Inactive
If you create a language and have never used it in a component or translation job, you can delete it. However, if the language was ever referenced you'll get an error and won't be able to delete the language. If you have to delete it, you must remove all components and translation jobs that reference the language. You'll also have to remove the language from any language groups before you can delete it.
If you don't want to delete all referenced content for reasons such as audits, you can just prevent the language from being selected for any new content or translation jobs. To do this, you can flag the language as inactive and remove it from the language lists that users choose from when they create components and translation jobs.
Why do I get a database error when deleting a language?
If a language belongs to a language group, you can't delete the language until you remove it from the language groups first.

Make a language inactive

  1. Click Administration_TopMenuOpt Administration, and then select Language management.
  2. From the list of languages, select the one you want to update, and then click Update pencil_icon.
  3. On the Update Language dialog, in Name, you can edit the title to indicate it isn't being used, such as adding a prefix of Inactive. Make sure your title uses 50 characters or less. For example, Inactive Arabic (Algeria).
  4. To ensure this language isn't available when a user leaves the default language, clear the Default checkbox.
  5. When a user is creating a new component, to remove this language from the list they choose from, clear the Active checkbox.
  6. When a component is being sent to translation, to remove this language from the available translation language list, clear the Translation Target checkbox.
  7. To save your changes, click Update.

Remove a language from a group

  1. Click Administration_TopMenuOpt Administration, and then select Language management.
  2. From the list of languages, select the one you want to update, and then click Update pencil_icon.
  3. On the Update Language dialog, next to the Groups button is the list of groups that this language belongs to.
    If there are no groups listed after the Groups button, then this language doesn't belong to any groups and you can Cancel out of the steps.
  4. If this language belongs to a group, click Groups.
  5. On the Select language groups screen, clear all checkboxes, and then click Select.
  6. To save your changes, on the Update Language screen, click Update.

Delete a language definition

Before deleting:

  • Use caution with this action as it can't be undone.
  • You must remove all content from Inspire that references the language you want to delete, including:
    • Components
    • Translation jobs
    • Group relationships

  1. Click Administration_TopMenuOpt Administration, and then select Language management.
  2. From the list of languages, select the one you want to delete.
  3. Click delete icon Delete.