--- title: CSV formatting guidelines for glossaries description: "Learn how to format your CSV glossary file for Lara.\nThis guide covers headers, delimiters, quotes, and encoding best practices to ensure your file uploads without errors." --- [Skip to content](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/csv-formatting-guidelines-for-glossaries#main-content) - [English](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/csv-formatting-guidelines-for-glossaries) - [Deutsch](https://support.laratranslate.com/de/csv-formatierungsrichtlinien-für-glossare) - [Italiano](https://support.laratranslate.com/it/linee-guida-per-la-formattazione-csv-dei-glossari) English Show submenu for translations [![Lara logo](https://support.laratranslate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot_2025-01-07_at_10.24.13-removebg-preview.png?width=119&height=50&name=Screenshot_2025-01-07_at_10.24.13-removebg-preview.png)](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - - [English](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/csv-formatting-guidelines-for-glossaries) - [Deutsch](https://support.laratranslate.com/de/csv-formatierungsrichtlinien-für-glossare) - [Italiano](https://support.laratranslate.com/it/linee-guida-per-la-formattazione-csv-dei-glossari) English Show submenu for translations - [Submit a request](https://2er2r1.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2CJaQX4efSGa8WhPQM8ImGg) [Submit a request](https://2er2r1.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2CJaQX4efSGa8WhPQM8ImGg) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Lara Translate Knowledge Base](https://support.laratranslate.com/en?hsLang=en) 2. [Frequently Asked Questions](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en) July 8, 2026 # CSV formatting guidelines for glossaries #### File structure A CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file is a simple text file that contains one entry per line. Each line represents a row in a table, and each value in that row is separated by a delimiter character. Example: `en-US,it-IT` `Hello,Ciao` `Good morning,Buongiorno` `Thank you,Grazie` The first line must contain the **headers**, which define the languages of your glossary (e.g. `en-US`, `it-IT`, `fr-FR`, `de-DE`).   #### Supported headers Use ISO language codes with a hyphen (`-`), not an underscore (`_`): `en-US, it-IT, fr-FR, de-DE`   #### Formatting rules - **Use commas (`,`) or semicolons (`;`) as column separators.** Both are supported. Make sure you use the same separator consistently throughout the entire file — do not mix them. - **All rows must have the same number of columns** — for example, if your header has 2 languages, every line must have 2 values. - If one translation is missing, leave the cell empty but keep the separator: `Hello,` - **If a value contains a comma, wrap the entire value in double quotes** (`" "`): `"12,5 km","12,5 km"` - **If a value contains quotes**, double them inside the field: `"He said ""Hello""","Ha detto ""Ciao"""` - **Avoid extra spaces** before or after separators. - **Always save the file in UTF-8 encoding** to preserve accented characters (`é, è, ü, ñ, ç`, etc.).   #### Common mistakes to avoid | ❌ Incorrect | ✅ Correct | | --- | --- | | `it_IT,en_GB` | `it-IT,en-US` | | `12,5 km,12,5 km` | `"12,5 km","12,5 km"` | | `Hello` | `Hello,` | | `"test` | `"test"` |   #### File encoding and saving When saving your CSV file, select **CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)** as the file format. This ensures special characters and multilingual content are preserved correctly.   ---   **This article is about:** - what a CSV file is and how it's structured - which header format is supported (e.g. `en-US`, `it-IT`, `fr-FR`) - which column separators are supported (commas and semicolons) - how to handle separators, quotes, and missing values - common formatting mistakes that cause import errors - how to save your file in UTF-8 encoding for a successful upload - [About Lara](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/about-lara?hsLang=en) - [How to use Lara](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/how-to-use-lara?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Translate text](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/how-to-use-lara?hsLang=en#translate-text) - [Translate documents](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/how-to-use-lara?hsLang=en#translate-documents) - [Translate voice](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/how-to-use-lara?hsLang=en#translate-voice) - [Translate images](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/how-to-use-lara?hsLang=en#translate-images) - [Translate audio](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/how-to-use-lara?hsLang=en#translate-audio) - [Account and Subscriptions](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/account-and-subscriptions?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Manage your account](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/account-and-subscriptions?hsLang=en#manage-your-account) - [Payments and Invoices](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/account-and-subscriptions?hsLang=en#payments-and-invoices) - [Manage your subscription](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/account-and-subscriptions?hsLang=en#manage-your-subscription) - [Manage Team](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/account-and-subscriptions?hsLang=en#manage-team) - [Pricing](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/account-and-subscriptions?hsLang=en#pricing) - [API and Integrations](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/api-and-integrations?hsLang=en#main-content) - [API](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/api-and-integrations?hsLang=en#api) - [CAT tools](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/api-and-integrations?hsLang=en#cat-tools) - [MCP Server](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/api-and-integrations?hsLang=en#mcp-server) - [Integrations](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/api-and-integrations?hsLang=en#integrations) - [Data Security and Privacy](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/data-security-and-privacy?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Data security](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/data-security-and-privacy?hsLang=en#data-security) - [Privacy](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/data-security-and-privacy?hsLang=en#privacy) - [Frequently Asked Questions](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Glossary](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en#glossary) - [Useful Tips](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en#useful-tips) [![Lara translate logo](https://support.laratranslate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Lara_logo_4333ad.png?width=140&height=59&name=Lara_logo_4333ad.png "Lara translate logo")](https://laratranslate.com) © Translated · VAT IT07173521001 Copyright © 2025