Localization question

[Robert Dufour]

In an english only application, it is fairly easy to make the table and
field names in your application descriptive so that on creating the
interface, most tools that bind data take the default field name and put it
as the column name in say a grid control.

However if you have a multi lingual UI you can localize the UI in Vs 2005 by
selecting the language of the form and changing the text property of the
controls to the localized text. So getting a localized form for a language
is fairly easy, although time consuming.

HOWEVER a problem crops up for the user who needs to be able to use a
reporting tool and having access to the tables, finds descriptive field
names in English only when he/she is a french speaker and use the french
localized version of the app.
Say he/she normally sees a form tellingh him he is looking at "la liste des
clients" and field "nom du client", but when he looks at the database
through his reporting tool he finds no table clients, in english its
Customers and no field "nom du client" , in english its "Customer Name". He
/she therefore needs to work out what the french, german or italian field
name he sees in the UI relates to the english table names and english field
names he sees in the tables. For some users this may be quite difficult. I
am thinking in the context where you have users of a centralized database
and in this group of users some use one locale , say english and others use
french for instance. In addition if he/she wants a report with French column
headers, he/she will have to go in the report generator and change default
column headers because usually the lables will use the name of the database
field. So this imposes a lot of additional work on end users - not good.

I am not concerned with localizing the CONTENT of the database fields that
need to change depending on the locale being used, basically you have no
choice but to put localized content in your database fields for each
language being handled and that's fine I know how to handle that.

I am sure many developpers have had to deal with this problem and I wonder
if there is a way somehow automate this translation of table names and field
names for users who need to create on the fly reports in languages other
than the database default language.

Any insight in how to most effectively approach this problem would be
greatly appreciated.

Bob

[Robert Dufour]

Sorry for the duplicate post I thought first one did not go through.
Bob
"Robert Dufour" <bd*****@sgiims.comwrote in message
news:eP**************@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

In an english only application, it is fairly easy to make the table and
field names in your application descriptive so that on creating the
interface, most tools that bind data take the default field name and put
it
as the column name in say a grid control.

However if you have a multi lingual UI you can localize the UI in Vs 2005
by
selecting the language of the form and changing the text property of the
controls to the localized text. So getting a localized form for a language
is fairly easy, although time consuming.

HOWEVER a problem crops up for the user who needs to be able to use a
reporting tool and having access to the tables, finds descriptive field
names in English only when he/she is a french speaker and use the french
localized version of the app.
Say he/she normally sees a form tellingh him he is looking at "la liste
des
clients" and field "nom du client", but when he looks at the database
through his reporting tool he finds no table clients, in english its
Customers and no field "nom du client" , in english its "Customer Name".
He
/she therefore needs to work out what the french, german or italian field
name he sees in the UI relates to the english table names and english
field
names he sees in the tables. For some users this may be quite difficult. I
am thinking in the context where you have users of a centralized database
and in this group of users some use one locale , say english and others
use
french for instance. In addition if he/she wants a report with French
column
headers, he/she will have to go in the report generator and change default
column headers because usually the lables will use the name of the
database
field. So this imposes a lot of additional work on end users - not good.

I am not concerned with localizing the CONTENT of the database fields that
need to change depending on the locale being used, basically you have no
choice but to put localized content in your database fields for each
language being handled and that's fine I know how to handle that.

I am sure many developpers have had to deal with this problem and I wonder
if there is a way somehow automate this translation of table names and
field
names for users who need to create on the fly reports in languages other
than the database default language.

Any insight in how to most effectively approach this problem would be
greatly appreciated.

Bob

[Cor Ligthert [MVP]]

Robert,

Don't mix up localization to much with languages. Belgie by instance has one
localization/culture however 3 languages.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...ltureinfo.aspx

Both are normally set in the system of the computer and therefore easy to
use in your program. How you handle the languages is up to you. Some use the
standard integratted way in the Net programs, other prefer just their own
XML file. One of the advantages from the last one is that you can let others
update your language file.

Cor
"Robert Dufour" <bd*****@sgiims.comschreef in bericht
news:eP**************@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

In an english only application, it is fairly easy to make the table and
field names in your application descriptive so that on creating the
interface, most tools that bind data take the default field name and put
it
as the column name in say a grid control.

However if you have a multi lingual UI you can localize the UI in Vs 2005
by
selecting the language of the form and changing the text property of the
controls to the localized text. So getting a localized form for a language
is fairly easy, although time consuming.

HOWEVER a problem crops up for the user who needs to be able to use a
reporting tool and having access to the tables, finds descriptive field
names in English only when he/she is a french speaker and use the french
localized version of the app.
Say he/she normally sees a form tellingh him he is looking at "la liste
des
clients" and field "nom du client", but when he looks at the database
through his reporting tool he finds no table clients, in english its
Customers and no field "nom du client" , in english its "Customer Name".
He
/she therefore needs to work out what the french, german or italian field
name he sees in the UI relates to the english table names and english
field
names he sees in the tables. For some users this may be quite difficult. I
am thinking in the context where you have users of a centralized database
and in this group of users some use one locale , say english and others
use
french for instance. In addition if he/she wants a report with French
column
headers, he/she will have to go in the report generator and change default
column headers because usually the lables will use the name of the
database
field. So this imposes a lot of additional work on end users - not good.

I am not concerned with localizing the CONTENT of the database fields that
need to change depending on the locale being used, basically you have no
choice but to put localized content in your database fields for each
language being handled and that's fine I know how to handle that.

I am sure many developpers have had to deal with this problem and I wonder
if there is a way somehow automate this translation of table names and
field
names for users who need to create on the fly reports in languages other
than the database default language.

Any insight in how to most effectively approach this problem would be
greatly appreciated.

Bob