So in a BW implementation where we have several languages we can opt to use the Supplementation and Translation together or separately. But do not go live without implementing any or else you will run the risk of turning away users.

Why is this important? It is not only about image and presentation it is about making your system usable. Just imagine a front-end with showing only technical names or id the user will never make heads or tails of what the front end is showing.

So what are the probable scenarios wherein we can use the translation and or supplementation?

Scenario 1: Text will all be in system language this will call for Supplementation

Scenario 2: Text will be partially translated and partially supplemented this will call for Translation and Supplementation.

We had a client who had several languages installed and their requirement was to have a localized version for some objects but some objects will remain in the system language. So this would call for a mix of Language supplementation and translation.

In order to facilitate the ease of text description maintenance and entry it is highly recommended to maintain a data dictionary that is separate from the metadata repository of BW. To speed up translation we must build collaboration within the data dictionary and let authorized user key in the text for their language.

A data loading is done to extract the text data from the data dictionary and stored in a DSO for further processing. A bespoke program is then run to update the target text table. The illustration below show the process we have developed.

After setting up the structure for the language translation part we can proceed with the language supplementation. Install the language in SMLT and select a language supplementation for the target language. A screen shot below (Figure 3) shows the supplementation dialog screen for one of the languages.

Figure 3