# Translating a validtion flash **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [January 30, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097 "2006-01-30T23:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/papacostas)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097/1 "2006-01-30T23:52:00Z")
I’m a belgian Rails user (Dutch is my native language). I wondered if it is possible to translate error messages (generated by validators). I know how to create my own error messages: def method content rescue logger.error(…) flash[:notice] = 'My own error message" redirect\_to(…) But where can I find the validator’s .rb files, so I can change them? Johan. ---
**Author:** ![papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/papacostas)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097/2 "2006-01-30T23:54:21Z")
Hi Johan, you can append a :message=\> parameter to any validation to override the default message. On 1/30/06, Johan Van M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > redirect\_to(…) > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) – ---
**Author:** ![papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/papacostas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 12:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097/3 "2006-01-31T00:06:25Z")
Thank you for your quick reply… It works 🙂 Although I’m facing another problem now: because my MySQL column names are in english, I get error messages which mix english and dutch: “english column name + dutch errormessage” Could I use dutch column names? I guess table names HAVE to be english (plurar form of the model’s class). What about columns? ---
**Author:** ![papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/papacostas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 12:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097/4 "2006-01-31T00:06:31Z")
You might find this useful: [http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/](http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/) OverridingRailsMessagesInAnotherLanguage. However, AFAIK, Rails still doesn’t have a good story when it comes to i18n. I’m not sure how you would dynamically change the messages based on the user’s locale. On Monday, January 30, 2006, at 2:53 PM, M Daggett wrote: > > > > * * * > > I am Mark Daggett and I approve this message. > > * * * > > Rails mailing list > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) Cheers! –Dave. ---
**Author:** ![papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/papacostas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097/5 "2006-01-31T00:33:44Z")
Johan ``` > I'm a belgian Rails user (Dutch is my native language). I ``` wondered if \> it is possible to translate error messages (generated by validators). My workaround is to : - translate the validation error message with the custom\_validation\_messages plugin - hide what cannot be translated with css =\> step 1: in the css: ``` #errorExplanation h2, div#errorExplanation p { display:none; /* UGLY WORKAROUND, because the msg is in ``` English\*/ } step 2: install the plugin [http://estound.com/svn/rails/plugins/custom\_validation\_messages/](http://estound.com/svn/rails/plugins/custom_validation_messages/) step 2: in the model, translate ``` validates_presence_of :first_name, :message => "[Le prénom est ``` manquant]" (notice the ‘[’ and ‘]’: it’s the plugin convention to override completely the error message, instead of appending) Alain ---
**Author:** ![papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/papacostas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097/6 "2006-01-31T00:12:49Z")
Dave T. wrote: > You might find this useful: [http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/](http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/) > OverridingRailsMessagesInAnotherLanguage. > > However, AFAIK, Rails still doesn’t have a good story when it comes to > i18n. I’m not sure how you would dynamically change the messages based > on the user’s locale. Thanks, That’s what I was looking for. I also noticed this project: [http://www.globalize-rails.org/wiki/](http://www.globalize-rails.org/wiki/) But I hoped to solve my problem without the use of a plugin. ---
**Author:** ![papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/papacostas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097/7 "2006-01-31T00:45:50Z")
Hi, On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 00:12:49 +0100 Johan Van M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > That’s what I was looking for. > I also noticed this project: [http://www.globalize-rails.org/wiki/](http://www.globalize-rails.org/wiki/) > But I hoped to solve my problem without the use of a plugin. Ruby-GetText-Package has already support this. See: [http://www.yotabanana.com/hiki/ruby-gettext-howto-rails.html#Models](http://www.yotabanana.com/hiki/ruby-gettext-howto-rails.html#Models) ---
**Author:** ![papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/papacostas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097/8 "2006-01-31T01:16:05Z")
Hi, On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 00:06:25 +0100 Johan Van M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Could I use dutch column names? I guess table names HAVE to be english > (plurar form of the model’s class). What about columns? Ruby-GetText-Package has already supported this. See the screenshot page below, there have already exist dutch translation. You can find the column names are translated in dutch(compare screenshot in English) [http://www.yotabanana.com/hiki/ruby-gettext-screenshot.html#Dutch](http://www.yotabanana.com/hiki/ruby-gettext-screenshot.html#Dutch) I think you need to try it ;). There are 2 tutorials: [http://manuals.rubyonrails.com/read/chapter/105](http://manuals.rubyonrails.com/read/chapter/105) [http://www.yotabanana.com/hiki/ruby-gettext-howto-rails.html](http://www.yotabanana.com/hiki/ruby-gettext-howto-rails.html) ---
**Author:** ![papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@papacostas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/papacostas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 9:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/translating-a-validtion-flash/99097/9 "2006-01-31T09:48:27Z")
Dear Masao M., Thank you for your help. I will be using gettext in the future. You wrote a wonderfull tutorial, and the screenshots are great too! Johan.