PeopleSoft Related Language Records

As we all know, PeopleSoft is capable of maintaining application data in multiple languages within the same database. This feature is driven by special records called Related Language Records that store language sensitive information in all required languages other than the base language of the system.

Structure of a Related Language Record
Data in Related Language Record has a one-to-one relation with the data in the base record to which it is tagged. So it’s natural that it will have all the key fields that the base record have. Further, it will also have LANGUAGE_CD as a key field.

Creating a Related Language Record
The easiest way to setup a Related Language Record for your base record would be to follow the below steps.

1. Clone the base record and and save it as <base_record_name>_LANG
2. Include LANGUAGE_CD as a key
3. Remove all non-key, non-language-sensitive fields
4. Associate it with the base record

Associating Related Language Record to Base Record
To associate the Related Language Record to your base record, open the base record in Application Designer and open the record properties. On the use tab, within the Related Language Record field, enter the name of the Related Language Record that you have just created. Save the record!

How Related Language Records Work
Say you have a search record that has a Related Language Record associated with it. When you login to the system in the base language and try searching, the text is retrieved from the base record. However, when you are logged in to the system in a language other than the base language, the system checks for a translation in the related language record. If a translation is found, it is displayed; otherwise, it displays the text from the base record. This logic enables us to selectively translate portions of data in the system while keeping the system functional at all times even if all rows are not translated.

By default, the base language for all PeopleSoft systems is English. However, an admin can change the base language to the desired one via SWAP_BASE_LANGUAGE Data Mover script.