This page created 5 May 2006
Version note: Applies to TMG 6 & 7
This article provides a general overview of TMG's Language capabilities, hopefully to create a framework to aid the reader in choosing and applying the specific features required to achieve his or her language objectives.
Other articles, found on the main Languages page, or linked in appropriate places below, provide more detail in using specific features.
The Language feature allows TMG to display all menus and screens in the selected language, and/or to create reports using a selected language. Note that TMG does not undertake to translate any data you enter to another language (other than regular dates). All data you enter will be output in the language in which it was entered, but the phrases created by the report format will be in the selected language.
A "Language" can be:
A real language, such as English, French, or German
A variation of a real language you create in order to modify specific terms or phrases
A "virtual" language that is created only to obtain some specialized formatting of reports.
To use the Language features described here you must have the Language Module installed. The default installation does not include it, so unless you checked that module during installation it will not be installed on your system. To verify, choose File > Language on the main menu. If you see only English, the Language Module is not installed – see my article on Installing the Language Module for instructions on how to install it, and for cautions on maintaining your language installation during program upgrades.
The enhanced language capability offered in current versions of TMG provides two distinct, but related, areas where languages can be used. They are:
User Interface - All the screens and menus can be changed to any of several other languages. TMG's corps of volunteer translators have created translations in several languages for most of the features the user sees in using the program (except Help). There are partial translations of some other languages, and an ambitious user could create a custom translation for any other. If a user just wants to change a few phrases or labels, that can be done as well.
Data Output – Independent of the language used for the interface, the user can create Reports, Charts, or websites in one of the supplied languages, or in a custom language or variation. Choosing a report language applies the Tag sentences and other attributes for that language, and also uses that language for the phrases generated as part of the report format itself.
You may choose to use either or both of these features to meet your language needs. The table below is designed to help find the discussion of the features used for applications.
Exactly which of the Language features might be useful to you depend on what task you might have in mind. The following suggestions may help:
| Objective: Operate the program and create reports in a Language other than English(U.S.) | |
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| Objective: Modify specific terms in the interface or reports | |
If you use English(U.S.) |
|
If you use any other language |
|
| Objective: Create a specially formatted narrative report or website |
|
| Objective: Create reports in a language other than the one you normally use in TMG | |||
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