Step-by-Step Guide: Enabling a New Language in Oracle E-Business Suite R12

Enabling a new language in Oracle E-Business Suite R12 is a structured process that requires careful planning and execution. This article provides a comprehensive walkthrough of the standard procedure, from pre-validation to post-installation verification.

Prerequisites

Before beginning the language enablement process, ensure you have the following:

System Administrator (SYSADMIN) access to the application tier
Access to the database server with SQL*Plus privileges
My Oracle Support (MOS) credentials for downloading translation patches
Adequate disk space for language files and patches
A valid backup of your application and database file systems

Step 1: Verify Character Set Compatibility

The first and most critical step is to confirm that your database character set supports the new language. Incorrect character set configuration can lead to data corruption or display issues.

SQL Query to Verify Language Support

SELECT LANGUAGE_CODE, NLS_LANGUAGE, NLS_CHARACTER_SET, INSTALLED_FLAG
FROM FND_LANGUAGES
WHERE INSTALLED_FLAG IN ('B', 'I')
ORDER BY LANGUAGE_CODE;

Understanding the Output

Flag	Meaning
`I` (Installed)	Language is already active in the system
`B` (Base/Seeded)	Language is available but not yet enabled
`U` (Unavailable)	Language is not seeded in this release

Note: Refer to the Globalization Guide for Oracle Applications Release 12 (Doc ID 393861.1) for a full compatibility matrix of languages and character sets.

Step 2: Activate the Language via License Manager

Once character set compatibility is confirmed, proceed to activate the language through the Oracle Application Manager interface.

Navigation Path

Log in to Oracle Application Manager (OAM) as System Administrator
Navigate to License Manager under the Administer tab
Select the Languages tab
Check the box next to the language you wish to enable
Click Apply to activate the license

Important: This step only licenses the language; it does not install translation files or NLS objects. It makes the language eligible for subsequent installation steps.

Step 3: Verify Activation in the Database

After licensing the language, confirm that the activation was successful by querying the FND_LANGUAGES table again.

Verification SQL

SELECT NLS_LANGUAGE, INSTALLED_FLAG 
FROM FND_LANGUAGES 
WHERE LANGUAGE_CODE = '<NEW_LANGUAGE_CODE>';

Expected Result: The INSTALLED_FLAG should now show I (Installed) for the newly activated language.

Step 4: Maintain Multi-lingual Tables

This critical step creates and populates translation tables (the _TL suffix tables) for the newly enabled language with seed data.

Execution Steps

Navigate to the $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME directory
Run the adadmin utility:
bash
```
cd $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME
./adadmin
```
Select the following menu options:
- Maintain Applications Database Entities
- Maintain Multi-lingual Tables
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process

Step 5: Maintain Snapshot Information

Running the snapshot maintenance ensures that application objects and database objects remain synchronized after the language changes.

Execution Steps (within adadmin)

From the adadmin main menu, select Maintain Applications Database Entities
Choose Maintain Snapshot Information
Enter the required parameters when prompted
Allow the process to complete—this may take several minutes

Step 6: Generate Translation Synchronization Manifest

The Translation Synchronization Patch utility (adgennls.pl) generates a manifest file that identifies all language-dependent files requiring synchronization.

Command to Run

perl $AD_TOP/bin/adgennls.pl

Output Location

The generated manifest file will be located at:

$APPL_TOP/admin/$TWO_TASK/out/adgennls.txt

Note: This manifest contains a comprehensive list of language files that need synchronization with their American English counterparts.

Step 7: Download and Apply the Translation Synchronization Patch

Part A: Upload the Manifest to Oracle Support

Navigate to the TransSync portal: http://updates.oracle.com/TransSync
Log in using your My Oracle Support (MOS) username and password
Upload the adgennls.txt manifest file generated in Step 6
Select your active languages from the list provided

Part B: Apply the Generated Patch

The system generates a custom patch specifically for your instance
Download the patch from Oracle Support
Apply the patch using the standard adpatch utility:
bash
```
cd $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME
./adpatch
```
Follow the prompts to apply the Translation Synchronization Patch

What This Patch Does:

Synchronizes language file versions with American English
Ensures consistency across all language-dependent files
Updates message files, forms, and reports for the new language

Step 8: Install NLS Help Files (Optional)

The NLS (National Language Support) help files provide online help content in the newly enabled language. This step is optional but recommended for user-facing implementations.

Instructions

Refer to Oracle Applications Globalization Guide (Doc ID 393861.1) for detailed installation steps
Download the appropriate NLS Help patch from Oracle Support
Apply the patch using adpatch
Verify help functionality by logging in with the new language preference

Post-Installation Verification Checklist

After completing all steps, perform the following validation checks:

Check	Action
Login Test	Log in to the application with the new language preference
Form Translation	Verify that forms display correctly in the new language
Report Output	Generate a report and verify NLS characters display properly
Online Help	If installed, verify help content displays in the new language
Snapshot Validation	Run `adadmin` Maintain Snapshot Information again to verify consistency

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue	Likely Cause	Recommended Action
Language not appearing in list	Character set incompatibility	Review character set and refer to MOS Doc ID 393861.1
Login shows English only	Profile option not set	Set `FND: LANGUAGE` profile to the new language
Missing translations	Multi-lingual tables not maintained	Re-run Step 4 (Maintain Multi-lingual Tables)
Patch application errors	Missing prerequisites	Verify all previous steps completed successfully

References

Oracle Applications Globalization Guide – Doc ID 393861.1
Oracle E-Business Suite NLS Documentation – Available on My Oracle Support
AD Administration Utilities Guide – Oracle E-Business Suite Documentation Library

Conclusion

Enabling a new language in Oracle E-Business Suite R12 is a systematic process that requires careful attention to each step. By following this guide in sequential order, you can successfully add language support to your instance while minimizing downtime and avoiding common pitfalls.

The key to success lies in proper preparation, especially character set verification, and following the official Oracle processes for activation, synchronization, and patching. Always test the new language in a non-production environment before implementing in production.

Oracle Apps/DBA

Pages

14 Enable/Add new language in Oracle Apps R12