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Product configuration in multiple languages

simone007
Mega Contributor

yesterday

I’ve recently started working with SOM, and I’m setting up a sample catalog to evaluate whether our current catalog can be migrated to ServiceNow. I need to understand whether it's possible to configure products and their attributes in multiple languages.
In the catalog I currently use, attributes can be defined as multivalue fields, where multiple languages can be configured.
Can this also be done in SOM, and are there other ways to achieve this? If so, how? Thanks.

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Me Being Mustaq
Tera Guru

54m ago

Hi @simone007 ,

 

 Yes, multilingual product attributes can be configured in ServiceNow Sales and Order Management (SOM), but not in the exact same “multivalue field per attribute” way you describe. Instead, ServiceNow provides a combination of catalog configuration, translation frameworks, and localization features to achieve this.

 

What SOM supports

  • SOM uses the standard ServiceNow product catalog and product model tables, so you can:

    • Translate product names, descriptions, and other text fields using the ServiceNow Localization Framework and translated text tables.​

    • Reuse the same product/catalog records and have the UI show the correct language based on the user’s language preference, without creating separate products per language.​

  • Product Catalog Management and Pricing capabilities in SOM build on this model; they do not introduce a separate “multi-language attribute container” like some external PIM tools.​

How Multilingual Attributes Work in SOM

  • Product Catalog Setup
    In SOM, you define product offerings and attributes in the product catalog. These attributes are stored in the catalog tables and can be exposed to end-users through the Service Portal or other interfaces.
  • Translation Framework
    ServiceNow has a Translation and Localization framework that allows you to provide translations for catalog items, categories, and attribute labels. Instead of storing multiple languages in one field, you configure translations in separate records tied to the attribute or item.
    • Example: Attribute “Color” → English: “Color”, French: “Couleur”, German: “Farbe”.
  • Multilingual Catalog Display
    When a user logs in, ServiceNow detects their preferred language (from user profile or browser settings) and automatically displays the translated version of the product attributes. This ensures a seamless multilingual experience without requiring multivalue fields.

 

 Options to Achieve Multilingual Attributes

  1. OOTB Translation Tables
    • Use the sys_translated_text and related tables to store translations for catalog item names, descriptions, and attribute labels.
    • This is the recommended approach for scalability and consistency.
  2. Catalog Item Localization
    • For Service Catalog items, you can configure translations directly in the item record.
    • SOM extends this to product offerings, so attributes like “Size,” “Color,” or “Plan Type” can be localized.
  3. Custom Multivalue Fields (Not Recommended)
  • Technically, you could create a custom field that stores multiple language values (e.g., JSON or delimited text).
  • However, this approach is harder to maintain, doesn’t integrate with ServiceNow’s translation framework, and won’t automatically switch based on user language.

 

 Best Practice Approach

  • Use the Translation Framework for attribute labels and descriptions.
  • Leverage user language preferences so the system automatically displays the correct translation.
  • Avoid multivalue fields for multilingual data—this breaks consistency and makes reporting/auditing harder.
  • If you need attribute values themselves (like “Red” vs “Rouge”), configure them as choice lists with translations.

In SOM, you can absolutely configure products and attributes in multiple languages, but the mechanism is different from your current catalog. Instead of multivalue fields, ServiceNow relies on its translation framework and localization features to deliver multilingual catalogs. This approach is more scalable, integrates with the platform’s language detection, and ensures a consistent user experience across ITSM, CSM, and OMT modules.

 

Other options

  • If you really need to store multiple languages inside a single product attribute (for integration or migration reasons), you can:

    • Model a custom child table to hold language-specific attribute values per product/attribute/language and then surface the right row based on user locale via scripts or UI policies.

    • But this is custom and only recommended if the standard translation mechanism does not meet a specific integration requirement.

In practice, for SOM evaluations and migrations, the standard and supported approach is to use the Localization Framework and translated text tables for product and attribute fields, rather than multi-language values inside a single field

 

You may find below thread helpful:

 


If it is helpful, please hit the thumbs button please mark the answer as correct based on the impact!!

 

Kind Regards,

Shaik Mohammed Mustaq

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