Translations & i18n

Frappe is multilingual at the framework level — strings wrapped with _() (server) or __() (client) are translated based on the user's language.

Setting a user's language

User → Language picks the preferred language. The desk re-renders in it. Each user has their own setting.

Where languages live

Where	What
Language DocType	ISO codes and labels (en, nl, de, fr, …)
System Settings → Language	Site-wide default for Guest visitors
Translation DocType	Per-string overrides for the current site

Built-in translations

Frappe and ERPNext ship translations contributed via Crowdin. Dutch (nl) coverage is strong; less common languages vary.

Custom translations

To override a label site-wide, open Translation → New:

Source Text: "Sales Invoice"
Translated Text: "Customer Order" (or your preferred term)
Language: en

The desk uses your override immediately for the chosen language. Useful when you want industry-specific terminology ("Job" instead of "Project", "Patient" instead of "Customer").

Translating your own app

In Python: wrap user-facing strings with _("My text"). In JS: use __("My text"). Then:

bench --site mysite generate-translations  # extracts to CSV
# translate the CSV
bench --site mysite import-translations    # imports back

Document content

The translation system handles UI strings — not document body content. For multilingual customer-facing output (invoices in Dutch vs English), use the language field convention on Customer / Print Format / Email Template.

Frappe Framework