Application may be displayed in multiple languages for global use cases

Description

A multilingual feature in Corporate Performance Management (CPM) software involves the system's ability to be displayed in various languages. For multinational corporations that operate in different parts of the world, having this feature is helpful as English may not be spoken broadly in all their subsidiaries.

Example Use Case

Scenario: A global corporation with presence in multiple countries uses CPM software to manage its financial performance. However, teams in different regions struggle with understanding and utilizing the software due to language barriers, leading to inefficient use of the tool and possible misinterpretation of data.

Solution: By incorporating a multilingual feature, the CPM software becomes accessible to all employees, irrespective of their native language. This translation includes the application interface and the names of dimensions, accounts, and so on.

Considerations

CPM vendors that allow their dimensions to be aliased can manually translate metadata this way, but only once. Most tools only allow one alias per dimension. For example, the dimension Product can be changed to Producto, but that is all.

True multi-lingual capabilities need to involve the entire application, meaning the menus, prompts, error handlers, login screen and so on. Not many tools on the market do this well. Enterprise tools can be configured to be multi-lingual but are never perfect. There always seems to be something in English no matter what.

Questions to Ask a Vendor

• Number of Languages: We need Language A and Language B. Does your system support those?
• Switching Mechanism: How does a user switch from one language to another in the software? Can this be done instantly and without interrupting their workflow?
• Automated Translation: Can we plug your product into a translator using a Chrome plugin or other system? Will it translate both the application and the associated metadata?