Custom Translations
Custom Translations in ERPNext allow documents to be printed or displayed in multiple languages based on the customer or supplier’s preferred language.
This feature is especially useful for businesses dealing with international clients who require localized versions of quotations, invoices, and other business documents.
Custom Translations enable ERPNext to dynamically convert document content into the recipient’s preferred language during print preview or email generation.
1. Setting the Language
You can define the default language for a Customer or Supplier in their respective master records.
For example, if a customer prefers Spanish, you can set Spanish as their default language in the Customer master.
The same configuration can be applied in the Supplier master for supplier-specific language preferences.
The system uses the party’s language setting to determine the translation used during printing and communication.
2. Print Preview in Party Language
When generating a print preview for a transaction, ERPNext automatically translates labels and content based on the selected party language.
For example:
- A quotation sent to a German customer will be displayed in German.
- A supplier quotation can be displayed in French if the supplier language is set accordingly.
Print previews automatically reflect the customer or supplier’s language without requiring manual intervention.
3. Changing Language in Print Preview
Users can manually override the language in the print preview screen.
This allows flexibility to preview or send documents in different languages without changing master data.
4. Custom Translation Setup
Custom translations allow you to define specific translations for words, phrases, or product descriptions.
To create a custom translation:
Home → Customization → Other → Custom Translations → NewYou can define:
- Source text
- Translated text
- Target language
Custom Translations override default system labels when the selected language matches the defined translation entry.
5. Translation Behavior
ERPNext applies translations dynamically based on the selected language in the document or print preview.
If a translation entry is missing for a specific field or value, the system will display the original source text.
This ensures that documents remain readable even when partial translations are available.
6. Use Cases
- Sending quotations in the customer’s native language.
- Generating invoices for international clients.
- Providing supplier communications in localized formats.
- Improving clarity in multilingual business environments.
7. Benefits of Custom Translations
- Improves communication with international customers and suppliers.
- Reduces manual translation effort.
- Enhances user experience in multilingual environments.
- Supports automated language selection in print formats.
- Ensures consistency across business documents.
8. Best Practices
- Maintain consistent translation entries for commonly used terms.
- Set default language at the Customer or Supplier level for automation.
- Review translations periodically for accuracy.
- Use clear and simple source text to improve translation quality.
