---
schema_version: "1"
id: 045a1c4794d4cea13e6f5db8b83366acc5e0b3f0f552c23c2e7e880bd2122cb8
title: Contact Language
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/sfdo/264-0-0/eda_contact_language.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.eda_contact_language.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: f4b7652aca678a38318f9924706fb1f74f12de4545d4af6c948ceff2ffda98b9
description: Contact Language represents a language spoken by someone connected to your institution.
products:
  - Education
release: "264"
---
# Contact Language

Contact Language represents a language spoken by someone connected to your institution.

- **[Sample Uses for Contact Language](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.eda_contact_language.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Tracking the languages that are spoken by students, staff, and parents—as well as their fluency in each—goes a long way to creating an inclusive environment where people can get support and communication in their preferred languages. Because a Contact can be any type of individual, you have a lot of flexibility in the type of data you track.
- **[Configure Contact Language](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.eda_contact_language.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Consider these updates, depending on which version of Education Data Architecture you originally installed.
- **[Create a Contact Language Record](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.eda_contact_language.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Create a contact language record from the Contact Languages related list on the contact record.

## Sample Uses for Contact Language

Tracking the languages that are spoken by students, staff, and parents—as well as their fluency in each—goes a long way to creating an inclusive environment where people can get support and communication in their preferred languages. Because a Contact can be any type of individual, you have a lot of flexibility in the type of data you track.

- University—Track the primary language for a student, but then identify an intermediate-level language because she's studying it.
- International university—Track an instructor's fluency in multiple languages, for staffing courses taught in multiple countries.
- K-12—Identify the primary language for a student’s guardian to ensure that communication sent to the family is in their preferred language.

## Configure Contact Language

Consider these updates, depending on which version of Education Data Architecture you originally installed.

### Keep Up with Contact Language Updates

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
            <colgroup>
              <col style="width:50%">
              <col style="width:50%">
            </colgroup>
            <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
              <tr class="">
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d15124e133">If Installed Before Version</th>
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d15124e136">Configuration Task</th>
              </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="If Installed Before Version" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d15124e133 ">1.72</td>

                <td data-label="Configuration Task" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d15124e136 ">
                  <p><strong>Page Layout:</strong></p>
                  <ul>
                    <li>
                      <p>Add the Contact Languages related list to your Contact page layout.</p>
                    </li>
                    <li>
                      <p>Add the Primary Language field to the Contact page layout. We recommend you add this field as read-only, as it's populated by the value specified in the Contact Language record when the Primary Language checkbox is selected.</p>
                    </li>
                  </ul>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;"> Learn about updating page layouts in <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleview?id=sfdo.eda_display_cust_obj_post_rel.htm" target="_blank">Display a New Custom Object After a Product Release</a>. </p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="If Installed Before Version" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d15124e133 ">&nbsp;</td>

                <td data-label="Configuration Task" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d15124e136 ">
                  <p>
                    <strong>Automation:</strong>
                  </p>
                  <ul>
                    <li>If you don’t want the Primary Language field on the Contact object to be populated by default, disable the CLAN_PrimaryLanguage_TDTM trigger.</li>

                    <li>If you don’t want Contact Language records to be created or updated automatically when users update the Primary Language field on the Contact object, disable the CON_PrimaryLanguage_TDTM trigger.</li>

                  </ul>
                </td>

              </tr>
            </tbody>
          </table>

## Create a Contact Language Record

Create a contact language record from the Contact Languages related list on the contact record.

Before you create a Contact Language record, create Language records to represent the languages recognized by your institution so you can relate Contacts to them. See [Language](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleview?id=sfdo.eda_language.htm) .

1. From the Contact record you’re updating with Language information, click **New** in the Contact Languages related list.
2. Select a language spoken by the Contact, indicate the fluency, and specify whether it’s the Contact’s primary language. Don’t change the Contact name.
    
    ![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-sfdo-education_data_architecture-264-0-0-production-enus/6bcf23e4-1d0f-4cd5-8405-b8e231f03ed0/images/icon_note.png)
    
    Note When you specify a language as primary, the language you choose appears in the Primary Language field on the Contact record.
3. Click **Save**.