How can separate tables for translated fields improve multilingual data management in databases?

Maintaining Multilingual Data in Databases

In managing multilingual data within databases, designing an efficient and scalable structure is crucial. One approach that meets these requirements effectively is the use of separate tables for storing translated fields.

Method:

Create two tables:

• Languages Table: Stores the list of available languages with their respective codes.
• Products Table: Stores only neutral fields (i.e., fields that are not language-specific) and a primary key field.

For every language, create a separate table named with a suffix "_t". These tables should contain the translated fields and have the following structure:

[products_t]
id (int FK)
language (int FK)
translated_fields (mixed)

Example:

The "Products" table stores general product information, such as product ID and price:

[products]
id (int PK)
price (decimal)

Each language has a corresponding "_t" table for storing translated fields:

[products_en_us_t]
id (int FK)
language_id (int FK)
name (varchar)
description (varchar)

[products_es_es_t]
id (int FK)
language_id (int FK)
name (varchar)
description (varchar)

Advantages:

• Scalable: Adding new languages only requires creating a new "_t" table, rather than modifying the existing schema.
• Avoid Redundancy: Common fields, such as price, are stored only once in the "Products" table, eliminating duplication.
• Flexibility: This structure allows for easy extension to support additional fields and languages.

Conclusion:

Using separate tables for translated fields provides a robust and efficient solution for managing multilingual data in databases. It offers scalability, avoids redundancy, and allows for flexible language support.

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