Changing a menu’s language should not change the currency in which the restaurant charges. A Spanish-language menu may show euros or dollars depending on the business, while a German-speaking guest may be visiting a restaurant outside the euro area. Language, amount and currency are three separate pieces of information.
Keep the same price meaning in every language
“10.00” gives an amount without identifying its currency. “€10.00” adds information a visitor needs. Before translating the menu, decide which currency the business actually uses and check it on individual dishes, set menus and any featured offers.
Modern Resto separates the amount field from a small currency dropdown in the editor. Choosing “€” adds the symbol to the price; it does not convert an amount from another currency. The “No currency” option remains available for prices without a symbol. It does not mean the menu will infer a currency from the guest’s language.
Example: one dish priced at €14.50
A French dish name might be “Poulet rôti”, with “Roast chicken” in English and “Pollo asado” in Spanish. If the restaurant charges in euros, all three descriptions refer to the same €14.50 price. Replacing the symbol with pounds or dollars merely because the reader changes language would misrepresent the price.
Punctuation also deserves attention. “1,500” can be read differently across contexts. Choose a consistent notation and have larger amounts checked by someone familiar with your guests’ expectations. Adding a currency symbol does not repair an incorrectly entered number.
Translate the details that help someone choose
A multilingual menu needs more than translated buttons such as “View all” or “Order”. Dish names, descriptions, accompaniments, supplements and set-menu hours also need to be understandable. Check what your tool actually translates: a localised interface may leave the restaurant’s entered content in its original language.
- Name: retain a traditional name when useful and explain the dish briefly.
- Ingredients: identify what distinguishes this version.
- Portion: explain whether a price is per person, for sharing or for a particular size.
- Accompaniments: distinguish included sides from optional extras.
- Availability: translate lunch-only or day-specific conditions too.
A literal translation of a regional dish name may be less useful than a short explanation of its preparation. Keep the name and add a description reviewed by someone who knows the recipe. Check allergen information against the ingredients actually used; translation is not a recipe verification process.
Use the same sample items to check each version
Prepare a small test set: a simple dish, a long title, a set menu, a supplement and an item with an important description. Open every offered language as a guest and inspect those same items. Text that fits on one line in one language may need more space in another.
- Compare amounts and symbols with the approved reference menu.
- Check that long names do not hide prices on a narrow screen.
- Open the detail view and scroll through the complete category.
- Review translated portions, supplements and service hours.
- Ask a competent speaker to review ambiguous wording.
- Repeat the checks after a recipe or price change.
Keep a record of what was checked and when. If several people maintain different language versions, name an owner for each version and specify which source menu they should follow. That is especially useful when one dish is renamed or removed during a seasonal change.
Common questions
Does changing the language automatically translate every dish?
Not necessarily. Translated navigation does not prove the restaurant’s content has been translated. Inspect the published names and descriptions before presenting a language version as complete.
Can I simply add a missing currency symbol?
Yes: choose the dish’s actual currency in the editor and check the resulting price. Do not assign a guessed currency to a restaurant whose billing currency you have not confirmed.
Open the menu editor to prepare clear prices and descriptions. If your starting point is a document, follow the PDF menu migration guide.