A customer who speaks Dutch but ships internationally wants their order confirmation in Dutch and a packing slip in English for customs. Sounds like a conflict — in Odoo it is simply a setting. In this article we set out how to activate languages, set a language per customer and deviate from it per document type.
Meertaligheid activeren
First, install the languages you want to support: Settings → Translations → Languages → activate English and German, for example. Odoo translates the standard report templates automatically: headings such as "Quotation", "Quantity" and "Total" then appear neatly in the language of the document. Only what you have typed in yourself — product names, terms, descriptions — still needs translating.
Language per customer
On the customer record, Sales & Purchase tab, you will find the Language field. Enter Dutch (nl_NL) here. From that moment on, quotations, order confirmations, invoices and the accompanying emails to this customer are generated in Dutch. A German customer with de_DE automatically gets everything in German — without your sales staff having to do anything.
Packing slip in a different language
The packing slip (delivery slip) is a separate report and can be controlled independently. Take a wholesaler in Waalwijk that supplies a Dutch customer but ships directly to that customer's warehouse in Poland: the invoice has to be in Dutch, the packing slip in English for the carrier and customs. Here is how you arrange that:
- Open the delivery via Inventory → Deliveries (stock.picking).
- Click Print and choose an alternative language for this one document from the dropdown.
- Need this permanently? Have a custom report built that always uses English for foreign delivery addresses.
Producten meertalig maken
Do not forget your product names and descriptions. Open the product, click the little flag next to Name and enter a translation for each language. If you don't, an otherwise neat English document will still say "Kabelgoot verzinkt 60x60" — and a Polish customs officer will find that rather odd. Start with your twenty best-selling products; the rest can follow later.
Finally
Practical tip: create one test customer per language and print a quotation, invoice and packing slip for each language. In five minutes you will see which texts are still untranslated, before a real customer does. Need help with multilingual documents or custom reports in Odoo? Contact DAADit Group.
Questions about your Odoo implementation? Start the free Business Scan.
Start the Business Scan →A customer who speaks Dutch but ships internationally wants their order confirmation in Dutch and a packing slip in English for customs. Sounds like a conflict — in Odoo it is simply a setting. In this article we walk through activating languages, setting a language per customer, and deviating from it per document type.
Enabling multilingual support
First, install the languages you want to support: Settings → Translations → Languages → activate English and German, for example. Odoo automatically translates the standard report templates: headings like "Quotation", "Quantity" and "Total" then appear neatly in the document's language. Only the things you typed in yourself — product names, terms, descriptions — still need translating.
Language per customer
On the customer record, under the Sales & Purchase tab, you will find the Language field. Set it to Dutch (nl_NL). From then on, quotes, order confirmations, invoices and the accompanying emails to this customer are generated in Dutch. A German customer with de_DE automatically gets everything in German — without your sales team lifting a finger.
Packing slip in another language
The packing slip (delivery slip) is a separate report and can be controlled independently. Picture a wholesaler in Waalwijk selling to a Dutch customer but shipping directly to that customer's warehouse in Poland: the invoice should be Dutch, the packing slip English for the carrier and customs. Here is how:
- Open the delivery via Inventory → Deliveries (stock.picking).
- Click Print and pick an alternative language from the dropdown for this one document.
- Need it structurally? Have a custom report built that always uses English for foreign delivery addresses.
Making products multilingual
Do not forget your product names and descriptions. Open the product, click the little flag next to Name and enter a translation per language. Otherwise an otherwise tidy English document will still say "Kabelgoot verzinkt 60x60" — which tends to raise an eyebrow at Polish customs. Start with your twenty best-selling products; the rest can follow.
To finish
Practical tip: create one test customer per language and print a quote, invoice and packing slip for each. In five minutes you will see exactly which texts are still untranslated — before a real customer does. Need help with multilingual documents or custom reports in Odoo? Contact DAADit Group.
Questions about your Odoo implementation? Take the free Business Scan.
Start the Business Scan →