6:21 PM · same ticket, seven kitchens
A POS in Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, for your whole team
A POS in Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese lets each person on your team work in the language they read best. In Restaurant POS Studio every user picks their own interface language, so the owner, the server and the cook can each see the screen differently. We set up English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic and Urdu, with right-to-left layout for Arabic and Urdu, and you can edit translations yourself.
TABLE 12 · GRILL
2 Spicy miso ramen
+ soft egg · no scallion
ALLERGY: PEANUT
2 Ramen miso picante
+ huevo tierno · sin cebollín
ALERGIA: CACAHUATE
2 辣味噌拉面
+ 溏心蛋 · 不要葱
过敏：花生
2 매운 미소 라멘
+ 반숙 계란 · 파 빼고
알레르기: 땅콩
2 Mì ramen miso cay
+ trứng lòng đào · không hành
DỊ ỨNG: ĐẬU PHỘNG
٢ رامن ميسو حار
+ بيض نصف سلق · بدون بصل أخضر
حساسية: فول سوداني
2 اسپائسی میسو رامن
+ ہاف بوائل انڈا · ہری پیاز نہیں
الرجی: مونگ پھلی
#1240 · 6:21 PM · SERVER: MARISOL
Seven languages we set up for your team
- EnglishEnglishSite in English
- EspañolSpanishSite in Spanish
- 简体中文Chinese (Simplified)Site in Chinese (Simplified)
- 한국어KoreanSite in Korean
- Tiếng ViệtVietnameseSite in Vietnamese
- العربيةArabic · right-to-leftSite in Arabic
- اردوUrdu · right-to-leftSite in Urdu
36% US restaurant owners born outside the US — National Restaurant Association, restaurant owner demographics data brief
How do languages work in Restaurant POS Studio?
Each user picks their interface language in their own profile. A server can work in English while a cook reads Spanish and the owner uses Korean, all on the same orders. We set up English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic and Urdu. Arabic and Urdu use right-to-left layout. Custom translations can be edited.
The language belongs to the user, not to the restaurant. That is the key difference from systems that offer one language per account. When a cook signs in with their PIN, the screen changes to their language. When the next server signs in, it changes back. Nobody has to change settings for the whole location.
Receipts and invoice layouts can be set per location, with your logo, header, footer and language labels. A restaurant in Dubai can print labels in Arabic and English. A restaurant in Karachi can print Urdu and English. Date and number formats follow your settings, so prices look the way guests expect.
- Language chosen per user, switching with each sign-in
- English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic and Urdu set up
- Right-to-left layout for Arabic and Urdu
- Custom translations you can edit
- Receipt labels and formats set per location
Who needs a multilingual POS, and when does it matter most?
Any restaurant where the owner, servers or cooks read different first languages needs a multilingual POS. In the US that is common: 36 percent of restaurant owners were born outside the country, according to a National Restaurant Association data brief. It matters most on a Friday rush, when a misread ticket means a remade dish.
Many first-generation owners run their business in English because their POS gives them no choice. That works, but it is slower, and small misunderstandings cost time. Reports read at 1 AM after a long night are easier in your first language. So is training a new cook who arrived last month.
In the kitchen the stakes are higher. A ticket the cook cannot read quickly is a ticket that waits, or gets cooked wrong. When the kitchen screen shows items and modifiers in the cook's language, the line moves faster. In Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, Arabic and Urdu with right-to-left layout matter for both staff and guests.
- First-generation owners who prefer their own language for reports
- Kitchens where cooks read Spanish, Chinese, Korean or Vietnamese
- UAE restaurants that need Arabic and English
- Pakistan restaurants that need Urdu and English
What does a multilingual POS cost to run?
Languages are included on every plan, from Counter to Group, with no per-language fee. We set up English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic and Urdu as part of onboarding. The running cost is the time to translate your own menu item names and modifiers, which you can edit yourself at any time.
The interface is translated already. Your menu is yours, so item names and modifiers need translating by someone who knows the dishes. Many owners do the top sellers first, then the rest over a few weeks. A cook who reads the language is usually the best person to check the kitchen wording.
Plan prices are on the pricing page, per location per month, month to month. Full Service adds coursing, unlimited kitchen screens, tip pooling and bookings. Group adds multi-location menus, HR, accounting and the API. Every plan has a 14-day free trial, so you can test the languages with your own team first.
- Languages on every plan, no per-language fee
- Interface already translated in seven languages
- Menu names and modifiers translated by you or with our help
- Test with your own team during the free trial
Why choose a per-user language POS over a single-language system?
A single-language POS forces everyone to work in one language, usually English. A per-user language POS lets each person sign in and see their own language on the same orders. The kitchen reads tickets faster, new staff train sooner, and the owner reads reports in the language they think in.
Some systems offer a language setting, but it applies to the whole account. Switching it for the cook switches it for the server too. In a mixed team that means someone always works in a second language. Per-user language removes that trade-off, because the order data stays the same and only the screen changes.
Right-to-left support is another gap. Arabic and Urdu are not just translated words. The layout itself must flip so menus, numbers and buttons read naturally. Systems that only support left-to-right languages often show Arabic text in the wrong order, which guests and staff in the UAE and Pakistan notice at once.
- Each user's language, same orders underneath
- No account-wide switch that affects everyone
- True right-to-left layout for Arabic and Urdu
- Edit any translation that does not fit your kitchen
Per-user language POS vs single-language POS
| Per-user language POS | Single-language POS | Account-wide language switch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server and cook in different languages | Yes, at the same time | No | No, one language for all |
| Kitchen tickets in the cook's language | Yes, with translated menu items | No | Only if everyone uses it |
| Owner reads reports in own language | Yes | No | Only if everyone switches |
| Arabic and Urdu right-to-left layout | Yes | Rare | Varies |
| Edit translations yourself | Yes | No | Varies |
| Receipt labels per location | Yes | Usually English only | Varies |
Switch a staff member's language
- List your team's languagesWrite down the language each owner, manager, server and cook reads best, so you know which ones to set up.
- Set each user's languageWhen you add staff, choose their interface language. It loads every time they sign in with their PIN.
- Translate the menuAdd translated names for menu items and modifiers, starting with top sellers. Ask a cook to check the kitchen words.
- Set receipt labelsChoose receipt and invoice labels, date and number formats per location, such as Arabic and English in Dubai.
- Test with the teamRun a test service where each person signs in, and fix any translation that is unclear before go-live.
What can go wrong — and the fix
The interface is in Spanish, but menu items still show only in English on the kitchen screen.
Translate item names and modifiers too, not only the interface. Start with top sellers and the modifiers the kitchen reads most.
A machine translation of a dish name confuses the cooks.
Have a cook who reads the language check every kitchen-facing translation, and use the names the kitchen already uses.
Arabic receipts print with the numbers or words in the wrong order.
Set the receipt layout and language labels per location and print a test receipt on your actual printer before go-live.
New staff are created in the default language and never switched.
Add language choice to your staff setup checklist, so each new hire signs in to their own language from day one.
Language questions
Onboarding desk · usually replies within a business day
Can my server use English while my cook uses Spanish?
Yes. Each user picks their own interface language. The server sees English and the cook sees Spanish on the same orders. The language changes when each person signs in.
Which languages do you set up?
We set up English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic and Urdu. Arabic and Urdu use right-to-left layout. You can edit any translation yourself if a word does not fit your kitchen.
Will my menu be translated automatically?
The interface is already translated. Your menu item names and modifiers are yours, so you add translations for them. Start with top sellers and ask a cook to check the kitchen wording.
Can receipts print in Arabic and English?
Yes. Receipt and invoice layouts are set per location, with your logo, header, footer and language labels. A Dubai restaurant can print Arabic and English labels. Print a test receipt on your own printer first.
Does the Urdu interface use right-to-left layout?
Yes. Urdu and Arabic use right-to-left layout, so menus, buttons and text read in the natural direction. This matters for staff and guests in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and across the UAE.
How many US restaurant owners are immigrants?
A National Restaurant Association data brief found that 36 percent of US restaurant owners were born outside the United States. Many run teams that speak several languages. That is why per-user language matters in US restaurants too.
Is Chinese available in simplified or traditional characters?
We set up Chinese as part of onboarding, and translations can be edited, so you can adjust wording to fit your team. Tell us which your staff read during setup. Check the kitchen screen with your cooks before go-live.
Do I pay extra for each language?
No. Languages are included on every plan, from Counter to Group. There is no per-language fee. You can add users in any of the languages we set up.
Can the onboarding team speak my language?
Tell us your preferred language when you book a demo or start a trial. We will do our best to match you with help in that language. In the UAE and Pakistan, WhatsApp is usually the fastest way to reach us.
Do reports change language too?
Yes. Reports follow the interface language of the user reading them. An owner can read the sales, tax and service-staff reports in Korean or Vietnamese while managers read them in English. The numbers are the same.
The ticket they can read.
Start the free trial and give every cook their own screen language.