> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kayanos.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Languages and currencies

> Maintain active interface languages and currency records as separate governed settings, with Arabic RTL acceptance checks and no unintended data conversion.

Languages and currencies solve different problems. A language record makes a language available to the organization and describes its direction; a currency record describes a selectable monetary unit. Neither setting automatically translates a custom field, converts an existing amount, changes an exchange rate, or grants access to financial records.

For the Directorate of Citizen Services, Arabic and English must express the same service meaning, while a configured monetary field can use an organization-approved currency such as SYP when the service policy requires a fee or amount. Keep language governance and financial-data governance separate.

## Goal

Activate and maintain usable languages, including Arabic right-to-left quality checks, and configure currency records with correct identifiers and decimals without misrepresenting stored money values.

## Language record versus currency record

| Setting  | Stores                                                                      | Primary effect                                                                                   | Does not do                                                                         |
| -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Language | Title, code, native name, text direction, and active/inactive state         | Makes an approved interface/content language available to organization configuration and members | Translate unlocalized custom data or rewrite existing record values                 |
| Currency | Code/ID, title, symbol, ISO code, decimal places, and active/inactive state | Defines a currency option for features/fields that use configured currency records               | Convert historic amounts, supply an exchange rate, or alter a field’s numeric value |

Changing a language is a content-quality decision. Changing a currency is a data-definition decision. Both require a named owner, a review of current use, and a safe test before a wide rollout.

## Before activating a language

1. Confirm that the language has an approved display title, stable code, and native name.
2. Select the correct direction: Arabic is right-to-left; English and Turkish are left-to-right.
3. Inventory user-facing custom data: entity titles, field labels, select/status choices, form text, document templates, dashboard labels, portal copy, and notification wording.
4. Decide who reviews terminology. For the Citizen Service Request lifecycle, agree that Received, Completeness review, Inspection scheduled, Decision review, and Closed carry the same operational meaning in both languages.
5. Check whether the language must be active before it can be selected as an organization default or a member preference.
6. Plan an RTL acceptance test on the devices staff actually use. Do not approve Arabic based only on a translation spreadsheet.

## Create or update a language record

Open **Administration → Languages and currencies → Languages**. The language form contains:

| Field       | Guidance                                                                                                                          |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Title       | A clear administrative name such as Arabic or English                                                                             |
| Code        | A stable language code used by configuration; do not casually rename it after content depends on it                               |
| Native name | The name displayed to speakers of that language                                                                                   |
| Direction   | Select LTR or RTL; Arabic requires RTL                                                                                            |
| Status      | Active makes the language available; inactive removes it from active choices without translating/removing existing custom content |

Use the following workflow:

1. Create or update the language record with the approved code and direction.
2. Save it as active only after required terminology exists.
3. In [Organization settings](/admin/organization-settings), select it as a default only when it is active.
4. Switch a controlled member between the relevant interface languages. The current user menu offers English, Arabic, and Turkish.
5. Open the Directorate’s request, task, form, notification panel, calendar, and a document/template preview. Check direction, truncation, dates, numerals, mixed Arabic/English labels, and serial references such as **CSR-2026-00042**.
6. Record defects against the specific field/template/label owner. Do not change a stable field key merely to change a translated title.

An inactive language is a controlled availability state, not a content deletion tool. Before deactivation, check defaults, member preferences, public portal content, and documents that still rely on it.

## Configure currency records

Open the **Currencies** area. A currency record has separate display and identifier fields:

| Field          | Requirement in the current form                                             | Example policy use                                |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Title          | A multilingual title with at least two characters in each maintained locale | Arabic/English business names approved by finance |
| Code/ID        | Exactly three uppercase letters                                             | Stable internal currency key                      |
| Symbol         | Non-empty and up to four characters                                         | A recognizable display symbol                     |
| ISO code       | Exactly three uppercase letters                                             | Interoperable reporting/export identifier         |
| Decimal places | Whole number from 0 to 6                                                    | The precision approved for that currency          |
| Status         | Active or inactive                                                          | Whether it is available for new configuration     |

Edit the title through the locale-aware title control rather than replacing one language with another. Switching the title editor between English and Arabic retains the other locale, and saving submits the complete multilingual title. Verify both labels anywhere the currency is selectable; a translated display title does not change the stable code or ISO identifier.

For a Directorate fee field, create or verify the approved currency record first. Then configure the monetary field, calculation, form, document, or report that consumes it. Selecting a currency changes how that configured feature identifies/displays money; it does not recalculate existing numbers. If the organization changes a fee policy or currency basis, define the business migration with finance and service owners before touching historical records.

## Directorate scenario

The Directorate activates Arabic with RTL direction and confirms English remains active for bilingual staff. The language owner verifies that the Arabic title for **Citizen Service Request** and each lifecycle status is approved. A Registry Officer switches language, opens a controlled request, and confirms that the serial reference remains left-to-right and unchanged.

Separately, the finance owner verifies the active currency record used by the estimated-fee field. The team creates a non-production request with an amount, confirms the configured symbol/decimal display, then compares the stored numeric amount before and after language changes. The number must not be converted merely because the interface language changed.

## Validation checklist

| Test                   | Expected result                                                                                                  |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Arabic language record | Active, RTL, and selectable as an active organization/member choice                                              |
| Arabic UI review       | Sidebar, menus, forms, dates, and custom labels are readable right-to-left; stable IDs and keys remain unchanged |
| Inactive language      | Is not offered as an active default; existing stored content is not silently removed                             |
| Currency code          | Code and ISO code validate as three uppercase letters                                                            |
| Decimal precision      | The form accepts only a whole value from 0 through 6                                                             |
| Currency display test  | The configured monetary field renders the chosen record without changing the stored amount                       |
| Historical record test | Existing fee/amount records remain intact after a language or currency-record administration change              |

Use controlled records. Do not use a live citizen payment or a production decision to demonstrate currency settings.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom                                      | Check first                                                                    | Safe response                                                                          |
| -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Arabic is not available in a language choice | Language status, code, and organization active-language configuration          | Activate and test it before selecting it as a default                                  |
| Arabic screen direction is wrong             | Language direction, reload, and component-specific RTL support                 | Capture the exact screen and correct the language/UI configuration                     |
| Custom labels remain English after switching | The custom entity/form/status/template lacks Arabic content                    | Add approved Arabic content; do not rename the stable key                              |
| Currency form rejects a code                 | Three-letter uppercase validation for ID and ISO code                          | Use the approved three-letter identifier; do not use a numeric amount as a code        |
| An amount changed unexpectedly               | The field/calculation/document mapping, not merely the currency record         | Stop the rollout and investigate the affected data path with the service/finance owner |
| A currency disappears from new choices       | Currency status is inactive or the consuming feature is configured differently | Review status and feature configuration before changing historical data                |

## Related guides

* Set active defaults in [Organization settings](/admin/organization-settings).
* Check personal language switching in [Profile, language, and signatures](/work/profile-language-and-signatures).
* Define currency-bearing entity fields in [Entity fields and layouts](/build/entity-fields-and-layouts).
* Use reliable amount derivations in [Calculated fields](/build/calculated-fields).

![KayanOS language and currency settings for the Directorate of Citizen Services.](https://kayanos.app/docs-images/en/admin/languages-and-currencies.png)