Multilingual support

Multilingual support on the IBM i operating system is the support that includes more than one language on one system.

A system that works in multiple languages must be able to handle a variety of cultural and linguistic characteristics such as the following:

  • Graphic characters, such as an e accent grave (e grave character)
  • Currency symbols, such as the Pound Sterling symbol
  • Date formats, such as 24.06.93
  • Time formats, such as 23:59
  • Sort sequences, such as a, b, c....

The system must also handle differences, such as the direction in which text prints and displays. For example, all text of Latin-based languages, such as French and Spanish, displays from left to right across a display. However, the general direction of Arabic and Hebrew text is from right to left across a display. The system displays text, prints text, and allows data entry left to right for some languages and right to left for other languages.

Printing and displaying text left to right for some languages and right to left for others is not enough, though. Numbers and Latin character phrases that are included in Arabic and Hebrew text display and print from left to right. For example, Hebrew text generally flows from right to left across a display. When Hebrew text includes a street address, the street name flows right to left, but the address number flows left to right. Similarly, if Hebrew text includes a Latin name, such as John Smith, the Latin name flows from left to right. Because this text flows both right to left and left to right (bidirectionally), the system displays and prints text bidirectionally.

Multilingual network

Two or more systems, each using a different primary language, can interchange data. Because data is flowing between systems with different primary languages, the data must have a CCSID assigned. When data has a CCSID assigned, data integrity is maintained. Thus, character data is correctly displayed for the receiving user.