Languages and right-to-left
Use the app in English or 21 other languages, each person in their own, with right-to-left screens for Arabic and Urdu and documents in your customer's.
What it is
Cash Flow Inventory is translated into 21 languages besides English, so the language picker offers 22 in all. The business sets a default language, and each person can choose their own. Arabic and Urdu turn the whole screen right-to-left.
Documents and messages to customers and suppliers can go out in their own language, separately from the language your staff work in.
Who it is for
- Teams whose staff speak different languages.
- Businesses that sell across borders and send documents in the customer's language.
- Businesses working in Arabic or Urdu, which need right-to-left screens.
Before you start#
- The business default is set by the owner on Settings › General.
- Each person changes their own language from their account menu; no setting right is needed for that.
Step by step#
- Open Settings › General and, under Region and format, choose the business's Language.
- Set the Date format and Number format (thousands and decimal separators) that your business uses.
- Press Save.
- Each person who wants another language opens their account menu and chooses it.
- On a customer or supplier, set their document language so their documents and messages use it.
The languages#
| Language | Shown as | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| English | English | Left to right |
| Bengali | বাংলা | Left to right |
| Spanish | Español | Left to right |
| French | Français | Left to right |
| German | Deutsch | Left to right |
| Portuguese | Português | Left to right |
| Arabic | العربية | Right to left |
| Hindi | हिन्दी | Left to right |
| Urdu | اردو | Right to left |
| Chinese | 中文 | Left to right |
| Japanese | 日本語 | Left to right |
| Indonesian | Bahasa Indonesia | Left to right |
| Turkish | Türkçe | Left to right |
| Russian | Русский | Left to right |
| Italian | Italiano | Left to right |
| Vietnamese | Tiếng Việt | Left to right |
| Malay | Bahasa Melayu | Left to right |
| Thai | ไทย | Left to right |
| Korean | 한국어 | Left to right |
| Dutch | Nederlands | Left to right |
| Polish | Polski | Left to right |
| Swahili | Kiswahili | Left to right |
How it behaves#
- Who sees what: each person sees their own choice; anyone who has not chosen sees the business default.
- Nothing is ever blank: if a phrase has no translation yet, it shows in English rather than an empty space.
- Right-to-left: in Arabic and Urdu the layout flips — menus, forms and tables read from the right.
- Documents: a document prints in the customer's or supplier's document language. You can also choose another language when you print.
- Messages: an automatic message goes out in the contact's document language, else the business's, else English. Send… shows the language and lets you pick another, and Arabic and Urdu e-mails are right-to-left. The built-in wording of messages exists in all 22 languages.
- Formats: dates, number separators, currency and time zone follow the business's settings on Settings › General, whatever the language. In Bengali, counts in a sentence use Bengali digits; amounts and quantities keep the business's number format.
- The assistant understands and answers in the person's language, and problem reports can be made in any of them.
Limits and what is not there yet#
- A newly added screen or phrase can show in English for a while until its translation is added.
- Country tax and e-invoice rules are not set by the language; they come from localisation packs (see Tax packs and e-invoicing).
Questions#
Can my staff use different languages in the same business?
Yes. Each person chooses their own language from their account menu; the business default applies to anyone who has not chosen.
Can I send an invoice in Arabic while I work in English?
Yes. Set the customer's document language to Arabic on their page, or choose Arabic when you print.
Does changing the language change my currency or date format?
No. Currency, time zone, date and number formats are business settings on Settings › General.
Why is one label still in English?
That phrase has no translation yet, so English is shown instead of a blank.