Unit names in your language
Applies to: Pattrans desktop 0.2
Content updated: 3 August 2026 Compatibility checked: 3 August 2026
How imperial units are written differs from language to language, and the people practising in a language know it better than any default table can.
If your target language already has built-in names, Pattrans uses them. If not, Pattrans uses the
international abbreviation — lb, in — always with the converted metric value:
5 lb (2.27 kg). Correct, never wrong, just not in your reader’s language. The System column
tells you which case you are in.
You can change the display name to match how your field or market writes it. The conversion figure stays locked — whatever you call it,
1 inchis still2.54 cm. The symbol and the number remain Pattrans’s responsibility.
Your labels are stored with your account, so they follow you to any computer you sign in on. Available on every plan.
Two controls, two different jobs
This is the pair people mix up:
| Where | What it decides |
|---|---|
| Translation settings → Numbers & units → Convert imperial → SI | Whether the metric figure is added. On: inch/lb/°F… with metric. Off: keep as-is, no conversion |
| Termbase & Units → Units | What the unit is called in the translation |
The two are independent. Your labels apply to every imperial unit in the translation whether or not metric conversion is switched on.
Open the screen
Termbase & Units → the Units tab.
Or go straight there from where you are working: in the translation settings, under Numbers & units, select Customize unit names →.
The four columns
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Unit | The unit in English — Inch, Pound, Gallon… |
| System | What Pattrans calls it if you set nothing |
| Converts to (locked) | The metric conversion factor — you cannot edit this column |
| Your label | Where you type the name you want |
Converts to (locked) is why renaming is safe: the figure is out of reach.
Set a label
- Pick the Target language. Labels are held per target language — each target language keeps its own set.
- Type the name you want under Your label.
- Leave it blank to use the system default.
Labels apply to new translations. Documents translated earlier keep the wording they were translated with.
The list covers the imperial units that turn up in technical documents: Acre · Feet · Gallon · Inch · Mile · Ounce · Pint · Pound · Quart · Thou · Ton · Yard.
Reset to the default
Select Reset to the system default, or simply clear the Your label box on that row.