Set the language displays — for the whole system, for a shop floor device, or for one user. CRIBWISE ships full translations in 20 languages, so a mixed workforce can each work in their own language on the same system.
How CRIBWISE decides which language to show
Language is resolved in three layers. A user’s own language always wins; where no user language is set, the system or device default applies.
| Situation | Language used | Set it here |
|---|---|---|
| Any user who has a Language set on their account, in both AP and SFI | The user’s own language — this overrides every default | Administration > User management |
| Admin Portal, user with no language set | System default language | Administration > System settings > General |
| Admin Portal login screen | System default language, always | Administration > System settings > General |
| Shop Floor Interface, user with no language set | The device’s default language | The device detail, on Data management > Devices |
| Shop Floor Interface before anyone logs in | The device’s default language — no user preference exists yet | The device detail, on Data management > Devices |
| Item descriptions in BI interface data and in scheduled reports | System default language, regardless of who receives them | Administration > System settings > General |
Important: Exports are not personalised. When item description translations exist, the data delivered through the BI interface and the reports sent by scheduled reports use the system default language — not the language of the person who receives the file.
Before you start
- You need Administrator privileges in the Admin Portal to change system settings or user details.
- Decide which language should be the fallback for the whole system. This is the language new users and the Admin Portal login screen will use.
- To set a language per device, know which devices serve which part of the shop floor.
Note: Changing a language changes the interface text only. It does not translate your own data — item names, custom field labels, and cost allocation values stay exactly as you entered them.
Quick start
Experienced users — set each layer in turn:
- System default: go to Administration > System settings > General, set Default language, and save.
- Per device: go to Data management > Devices, open a device, set its Default language, and save.
- Per user: go to Administration > User management, open a user, set Language, and save.
Need more detail? Follow the full steps below.
Steps
Step 1 — Set the system default language
- In the left sidebar, click Administration.
- Click System settings.
- Open the General tab.
- Select a language in Default language.
- Save the settings.
This language now applies to the Admin Portal for every user who has no language of their own, to the Admin Portal login screen, and to item descriptions in BI data and scheduled reports.
Step 2 — Set the default language for a device
The Shop Floor Interface follows the device it runs on, not the system setting. Set this for any device whose operators should see a different language.
- Go to Data management > Devices.
- Select the device and click View detail.
- On the General information tab, select a language in Default language.
- Click Save device.
Operators without a language of their own now see the Shop Floor Interface in this language, including before they log in.
Tip: To give every new device the same starting language, set it once under System settings > Stock administration > Device defaults > Default language. It applies to devices created after that, not to existing ones.
Step 3 — Set the language for a user
Use this whenever one person needs a different language from everyone around them.
- Go to Administration > User management.
- Select the user from the list, or click New user to create one.
- Set the Language field to the user’s preferred language.
- Click Save user.
The Language field is optional. Leave it empty and the user follows the system default in the Admin Portal and the device default on the Shop Floor Interface. Fill it in and that language applies to that user in both interfaces, on every device they log in to.
Success: Log in as the user. The interface appears in the language you selected, on both the Admin Portal and any device they use.
Available languages
CRIBWISE offers full system translations in 20 languages:
| Chinese (simplified) | Chinese (traditional) | Czech | Danish | English |
| Finnish | French | German | Hungarian | Italian |
| Japanese | Korean | Norwegian | Polish | Portuguese |
| Russian | Slovenian | Spanish | Swedish | Turkish |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A user still sees the old language after you changed the system default | That user has a Language set on their account, which overrides the system default. | Open the user in Administration > User management and change or clear the Language field. |
| The Shop Floor Interface is in a different language than the Admin Portal | They read different settings. The AP follows System settings > General; the SFI follows the device. | Open the device on Data management > Devices and check its Default language. |
| The Shop Floor Interface login screen is in the wrong language | No one is logged in, so no user preference applies. The device default is used. | Change Default language on that device. |
| A scheduled report or BI export is not in the recipient’s language | Working as designed. Item descriptions in these use the system default language, not the recipient’s. | Change System settings > General > Default language if the export language matters more than the interface language. |
| A device language change has not reached the shop floor | The change still needs to synchronize to the device. | SFI 1.56 and later synchronize immediately. Older versions wait for the device’s synchronization period. |
| The interface is translated but item descriptions are not | No description exists in the requested language, so CRIBWISE falls back to the default description. | Add a translated Description on the item — see Item fields and settings reference. |
Related articles
- System settings reference — every system setting, including Default language on the General tab and the device defaults.
- How to create and manage users — the full user form, including the Language field.
- How to create and manage devices — device settings, including each device’s Default language.
- Item fields and settings reference — how translated item descriptions are stored and which one a user sees.
- BI interface — which language item descriptions use in exported data.