Configuring Oracle Components to Run in Different Languages

You can specify the language and the territory, or locale, in which you want to use the Oracle components.

The locale setting of a component determines the language of the user interface of the component and the globalization behavior, such as date and number formatting. Depending on the Oracle component, the locale of the component is either inherited from the operating system session that started the component, or is defined by the NLS_LANG environment variable.

The operating system locale usually influences Oracle components that are based on Java technology. The NLS_LANG environment variable usually influences Oracle components that use Oracle Client libraries such as OCI.

Note:

The user interface of an Oracle component is displayed in a selected language only if the appropriate translation is available and has been installed. Otherwise, the user interface is displayed in English.

• Determining the Operating System Locale
  The locale setting of your operating system session determines the language of the user interface and the globalization behavior for components such as Oracle Universal Installer, Oracle Net Configuration Assistant, and Oracle Database Configuration Assistant.
• Configuring Locale and Character Sets Using the NLS_LANG Environment Variable
  The NLS_LANG environment variable determines the language of the user interface and the globalization behavior for components such as SQL*Plus, exp, and imp.
• NLS_LANG Settings in Console Mode and Batch Mode
  Before you can use Oracle utilities such as SQL*Plus, SQL Loader, Import, and Export from the command prompt, you may have to set the character set in the parameter NLS_LANG to a different value from the one used in the registry.