Issuing a schedule in another language
In Switzerland a construction project does not stop at the language border. A planner in Bern works for a client in Lausanne; a general contractor awards work in Ticino. The schedule then has to arrive in a language in which it will be read – otherwise it will not be read.
Why translating by hand fails
- A translated copy is out of date from the next change onwards.
- Two versions of the same plan drift apart without anyone noticing.
- Month names and calendar weeks stay in the original language.
- In a dispute it is unclear which version is the binding one.
The plan stays one
The only workable route is the one in which a single plan continues to exist and merely the output changes. It is maintained in one place; the language is chosen at export. That leaves no second version to keep up to date – and no question as to which one applies.
Language is more than headings: month names, weekdays and the calendar week shape the look of a schedule more strongly than any title. If they stay German while the rest is French, the document looks unfinished.
What stays language-neutral
Project names, task labels and company names are content and are not translated automatically – they appear as they were entered. What is translated is the frame: column titles, calendar and the fixed details of the sheet.
In Menira
The output language is chosen at PDF export – German, French, Italian or English, regardless of the language you work in. The calendar follows the chosen language. The same plan can therefore be issued one after another for different recipients, without a second version coming into being.