Language Preferences

MakerVera lets you choose your preferred language for both the interface and email notifications. When a translation is available, the entire UI and all transactional emails — booking confirmations, event reminders, membership notices, and more — use that language automatically.

Supported Languages

Language
English (US)
Spanish (Mexico)
French (Canada)

English is the default. If no preference is set, emails are sent in the language configured by your makerspace administrator.

Setting Your Language

You can change your language from two places:

From Profile Settings:

1. Go to your Profile (click your name or avatar in the top right)
2. Select the Settings tab
3. Find the Language Preference card
4. Select your preferred language
5. Your preference is saved automatically

From the footer: You can also use the language selector in the page footer. When you’re logged in, changing the language there saves your preference too.

Both options update the interface immediately and save your preference for future email notifications.

How Language Is Determined

MakerVera uses a priority chain to decide which language to use for your emails:

1. Your preference — if you’ve set a preferred language, that’s used
2. Makerspace default — if you haven’t set a preference, your makerspace’s default language is used
3. English — if neither is set, emails default to English

This means you can override your makerspace’s default without affecting other members.

What Gets Translated

• Email subject lines — the subject of every notification email
• Email body content — the full content of the email, including greetings, instructions, and footers
• Template variables — dynamic content like your name, event titles, and dates are inserted into the translated template
• Text messages and push notifications — they follow the same language choice as your emails

If a message hasn’t been translated into your language yet, you receive the English version instead. You still get every notification, and the notification preferences you’ve set (for example, opting out of event reminders) still apply to the English version.

Sign-up and Password Reset Emails

The emails with a verification code (confirming your email when you sign up, a new code when you ask for one, and the code to reset your password) are sent at the moment you ask for them, often before you’ve signed in. They’re written in the language the MakerVera page is shown in when you ask, not your profile preference. English, Spanish and French are available; any other language gets the English email.

Frequently Asked Questions

I changed my language but still received an email in English?

There are a few possible reasons:

• The message hasn’t been translated yet — MakerVera sends the English version rather than skipping the notification. This applies to emails, text messages and push notifications alike
• The email was already queued — emails scheduled before your change may still use the previous language. Future emails will use your new preference.
• It’s a sign-up or password reset code email — these use the language the page was shown in when you asked for the code, not your profile setting

Can my makerspace admin set a default language for everyone?

Yes. Makerspace administrators can set a default language in the makerspace’s General Settings. This applies to all members who haven’t set their own preference. Your personal preference always takes priority over the makerspace default.

I set my language but the makerspace admin changed the default — what happens?

Your personal preference is not affected. If you’ve set your language to Spanish, you’ll continue receiving emails in Spanish regardless of the makerspace default. Only members without a personal preference are affected by the makerspace default.