Present Translated Data in Reports

[mshakeelattari]

My database has data in the tables in English. But at this time I need some reports showing data in some other language. Is there any possibility for the data translated on the report? Thanking in advance.

[mshakeelattari]

Waiting for any answer! Or please refer any other place where this type of issue has been discussed.

[jforbes]

If you are talking about Number and Date formatting, you should be able to use any formatting style you like by setting the Format Property. I haven't had a lot of experience of what happens if you leave the Formatting Property blank and open the database up on different computers with different localizations, but you may find it already works the way you want it to.

If you are looking for a Globalizing and Localizing, Access doesn't support it. Which means you will need to either create a separate Report/Form for each language you want to support or create a routine that performs the Localization for you.

If you decide that you need to build your own Localization, I would recommend creating your Forms and Reports with Labels and Buttons with a Caption using a pattern something like {CustomerName} or {OK}. You could build a routine that walks the Controls Collection and replaces any caption enclosed with {} to the Localized String. I would also store the Localized Strings in a Table, so that you can add them through data instead of hard coding them in VBA.

[mshakeelattari]

First I thank you for the response.

I have built my own Localization already as you have suggest in last paragraph. Now, the data in the tables are in English, like the addresses, date of birth in words, Relegion, Nationality, Caste etc. I want display these data fields in another language. Is there a way to translate the data on the reports? If a table contains a dictionary (words in both languages) and their should be a routine that replaces the words between the two languages on the report.

Thanking in anticipation.

[jforbes]

I don't think you could build anything that would just translate all your data, especially when the data may contain a phrase or complete sentence, but I think you have realized that.

For Lookup or Combo type of fields, you could store them as a single code, either numeric or alphanumeric. Then you could build a translate table that looks up the display text based on the Lookup Field Name, Code, and Language. If you can't store them as a Code, you might still be able to translate them, but it will would probably still need a function to perform the translation. If you created a Translate Function, you could replace the ControlSource of your Data with the Translate Function and pass it the current Code or data and it would return the translated Code.

[PhilOfWalton]

I am very hesitant about disagreeing with jforbes (and very unsure of my ground) but there appear to be programs that interface Access with various translation programs (e.g. Google Translate)

I have had a very brief look and am far from sure if they will work, but it might be worth checking. I certainly sounds feasible. I don't know if there may be limitations on the number of translations per day: Licences may be needed.

Phil

[mshakeelattari]

I have seen a database in access in which the end user types only the English name consisting of two or three or more words in a textbox on a form and the next textbox displays the translated name in Urdu. There is a separate form where the user can enter the English name (Single words) and its Urdu version by himself for new names. If we understand the principle behind it, I think we would be able to find out our way.