By default, Manager will open and operate in English. If you prefer to work with Manager in a different language, you can easily switch. Language preference is set by the individual user and affects all businesses that user can access.
Choosing a language
By default, you will see in the footer at the bottom of the Manager window:
If your web-browser is configured to accept other languages, you will also see those options by default. For example, if your web browser is configured to accept English, Vietnamese, and Arabic, you will see this:
To switch to an available language, simply click on its link. No matter which language you currently have selected, you can also click the + button in the footer :
Links to all available languages will appear. Choose your preferred language by clicking its link:
Example
Northwind Traders moves to the Netherlands and decides to switch languages. It follows the procedures described above, clicking on Nederlands and now sees information in the new language:
Effects of language changes
Manager implements translation via a lookup table including terms used in the program. This table covers predictable words, such as:
- Functional tab names
- Built-in balance sheet group names
- Built-in control account names
- Automatically enabled account names related to hard-coded functions
- Report titles
- Built-in field labels on forms
The table does not include content you enter anywhere in the program. Therefore, Manager will not translate:
- Names of groups and accounts you create or edit in your chart of accounts
- Content of fields, such as inventory item names, line-item descriptions, or business details, even though labels of these fields are translated
- Labels or content of custom fields
Note
Default, placeholder group and account names on the profit and loss statement side of your chart of accounts are special cases. Because these placeholder names are not control accounts and are not related to hard-coded program functions, they are treated as though they were created by the user. Therefore, they are not translated back and forth when the language preference is changed.
However, because they are present by default when a new business is created, their names are known in advance, and they are included in the translation table. So when they are first created, their names will be in the language currently set. If you plan to operate a business in a certain language, set that as your preference before creating the business. The placeholder groups and accounts will be titled in your desired language. They will not, however, be translated later if you change language.
Manager also reverses layout from left-to-right to right-to-left when one of the following languages is chosen:
- Arabic
- Dhivehi
- Hebrew
- Kurdish
- Persian
- Urdu
For further information on right-to-left languages, see another Guide.
Advice for multi-language businesses
Users can quickly switch back and forth between languages. For example, you might have some customers who prefer invoices in English and others who prefer invoices in French. You can change the language directly on the sales invoice entry screen, seeing the exact result in real time.
When a business operates in multiple languages, whether because customers or suppliers use different languages or because internal users do, a few ideas may be helpful:
- Title self-generated groups and accounts in the chart of accounts in both languages. For example, a bilingual Spanish/English company could rename the default Donations account to Donaciones | Donations. (Automatic and control accounts will be translated by the program.)
- Enter field content, especially in custom fields, in the language of its intended audience. For example, payment terms on sales invoices should be in the language of the customer (or multiple languages).
- Consider creating custom themes for different languages.
- Remember that Manager has no live translation capability, but is restricted to what the translation teams have put into the translation table. Switch back and forth between languages to fully understand the effect and make necessary adjustments. Explore all aspects of the program when doing this.
Note
The translation process is a collaborative, community effort. See Translations for more information. If you find incomplete or incorrect translations, you might like to join our translation team. You can suggest new languages at the same link.