Translating Text Elements (SAP Library - Maintaining Text Elements)

Translating Text Elements

Text elements help you to write language-independent programs. They are stored in the text pool of their language, and can be translated using the normal translation process.

Prerequisites

You have maintained text elements in the original language.

Procedure

Choose Utilities ® Translation ® Short and long texts.
The initial screen of the translation transaction (SE63) appears.

Choose Translation ® Short texts ® Program texts.
The following screen appears:

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Enter the program name, the source language, and the target language.

Choose Edit.
The text elements are displayed in the language in which you created them.

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Note

You can also access the translation tool from the text element maintenance screen by choosing Goto ® Translation.

Translate the texts.

Save your translation.

Result

You have created text pool for a different languages.

Once you have created text pools for different languages, you can change the language in which you run the program by changing one of the following:

The logon language. The default language for your program is the logon language of the user.

The SET LANGUAGE statement. This ABAP statement allows you to set the output language explicitly and independently of the logon language.

Syntax

SET LANGUAGE < lg >.

The language <lg> can be a literal or a variable.

Once you have set a language (using either method), the system only looks in the text pool of that language. If it cannot find the relevant text symbols in that pool, it displays the default text specified in the program source code (if one exists), otherwise, it skips the corresponding WRITE statement.